SOAS Research Online

Abstract

This paper explores the transformative role of technology, focusing on its dual capacity to both empower resistance and reinforce state control. It contrasts the potential emancipatory capacity of social media with the emerging usage of Artificial Intelligence (AI), focusing on its deployment as a surveillance technology in Egypt. In this context, its role highlights a contradiction, whereby technology that once enabled democratic participation during the 2011 thawra (‘revolution’) now threatens to undermine it. Drawing on Virilio's concept of "polar inertia" this analysis argues that the influence of AI on public discourse exacerbates entrenched power hierarchies, particularly highlighting the growing integration of military forces into governance structures. It foregrounds the significant ethical and political dilemmas posed by such dynamics, expanding the discourse on AI's implications within authoritarian contexts. Moreover, it underscores the need for adopting rigorous policies to promote equity and inclusive technological advancement.