Worried about how AI may affect foreign policy? You should be. - Harvard Gazette

""As soon as you put any AI system in a position of power, where it is making a recommendation to a government," said the Harvard Kennedy School lecturer and fellow with the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, "that means it will be hacked." Schneier spoke at a panel last week, convened by the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, on potential threats and opportunitiesas governments worldwide adopt the rapidly developing technology."

"The self-described "recovering lawyer," who teaches a College course on AI in policy design, foresees many positive impacts. "Large language models, our new oracles, can drastically speed up a law formation. They can optimize data analysis. They can expose weaknesses in current laws. They can identify compliance gaps," she said. But AI can just as easily be used to undermine international order. That's why global cooperation is needed to help direct AI's advancement, Liviatan said."

AI systems placed in positions of governmental decision-making that make recommendations are highly vulnerable to hacking. Cybersecurity risks from AI in power can exceed concerns about hallucinations. Large language models can accelerate law formation, optimize data analysis, reveal legal weaknesses, and identify compliance gaps. AI capabilities can also be used to undermine international order, creating geopolitical risks. Global cooperation and oversight are necessary to guide AI development and deployment. Regulatory frameworks remain nascent, with examples like the European Union's AI Act offering early guardrails against misinformation, surveillance, and cyberattacks.

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