The Arms Control & Disarmament Centre (ACDC) at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) in collaboration with the Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF), Islamabad, organised an Online Workshop titled, “Internet, Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Technologies – Implications for Security and Foreign Policy” on January 20, 2021. Dr. Daniel Voelsen, Senior Associate at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, Berlin, was the keynote speaker for the workshop.
Malik Qasim Mustafa, Director ACDC, moderated the event. In his introductory remarks, he stated that the top emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), 3D printing, drones, robotics, related commercial and military technologies and quantum computing are acting as “agents of change” at the beginning of 2021. However, it is important to note that access to such technologies, their application and the realisation of their true potential, sometimes creates complex challenges. “They have the potential to transform our future including our national security,” he said. The main objective of organising this event is to analyse how the interplay of the internet, AI and quantum technologies is going to impact security and foreign policy. Are emerging technologies going to increase competition or cooperation? How states are going to address complex challenges arising out of the use of these emerging technologies?
