Political Science 333 A: AI & Geopolitics
SLN: 14099
Full-Term: June 22 – August 21, 2026 (Summer 2026)
Syllabus: Google Doc (UW login required)
Mode: Asynchronous Online; no required online meetings.
Course Week: Monday to Sunday
General Method of Instruction: Weekly readings, recorded lectures, films and podcasts, discussion posts, and analytical essays
Instructor Contact and Office Hours
Instructor: Robin Datta
Best Contact: rdatta@uw.edu
Office Hours: Mondays 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM via Zoom, or by appointment
Location: Online (via Zoom Office link in Canvas)
Course Overview
When the Wright Brothers flew at Kitty Hawk in 1903, they, military planners, international lawyers, and science fiction authors had already been thinking about what powered flight could mean for warfare. Within a decade, the airplane had been transformed by the First World War, and it changed what war would look like for every conflict that followed.
While earlier technologies like the airplane have extended human capabilities, AI is potentially different. Airplanes, for the most part, still require humans in the loop. It is not clear that AI will require the same. That distinction creates economic, political, and geopolitical challenges that no one has fully worked out yet.
This quarter we will approach AI not just as a technological phenomenon, but as a political one. While states and firms are already positioning themselves to dominate the infrastructure that AI depends on, the deeper questions remain contested: who actually builds these systems, how does control over that infrastructure translate into international power, and is the emerging order governable at all?
By the end of the course, you will have argued an original, evidence-based position on a live question in AI geopolitics.
Draft Topic List
Week 01 - Do Technologies Have Politics?
Week 02 - Who Builds AI, Who Captures Its Value, and Who Bears Its Costs?
Week 03 - What Role Might AI Play in International Conflict and Cooperation?
Week 04 - Who Wins the Race for AI Dominance: The US, China, or No One?
Week 05 - Can Countries Outside the US and China Control Their AI Futures?
Week 06 - Does AI-Driven Information Warfare Threaten Democracy More Than Autocracy?
Week 07 - Should Machines Make Lethal Decisions?
Week 08 - Is the Emerging AI Order Governable?
Week 09 - Where Do We Go From Here?
Texts and Materials
There is no required textbook for this course. All readings are drawn from academic articles, book excerpts, and policy documents linked in Canvas. Some readings may require your UW NetID for off-campus access.
Readings are drawn from academic articles, book chapters, and policy documents. Most weeks also include at least one film, podcast, or other media element; these will be linked in Canvas alongside the written materials.
For current developments, regular reading of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and Lawfare is strongly recommended.
Recommended Preparation and Learning Goals
Students should have a general familiarity with the basic concepts of international relations, including the core insights of realism, liberal internationalism, and constructivism. No technical background in artificial intelligence is required or expected.
When you have finished this course, you will be able to:
- Explain the major theoretical frameworks used to analyze the relationship between technology and political power.
- Analyze how states, firms, and institutions navigate technological competition and its geopolitical consequences.
- Identify competing approaches to AI governance and assess the political conditions under which they emerge.
- Evaluate the security risks arising from AI integration into military systems and international order.
- Develop and argue an original, evidence-based position on a live question in AI geopolitics, drawing on international relations theory, technology theory, and primary policy sources.
Assignments and Grading
Your grade is based on four components.
Each week from Week 2 through Week 8, you will choose to complete either a short problem-based discussion or a short analytical essay engaging the same scenario (35%). A Research Proposal is due in Week 3 (15%). A Research Check-in is due in Week 6 (10%). A Final Project is due at the end of Week 9 (40%). Full details on formats, rubrics, and due dates are available via Canvas.
Generative AI (Claude Sonnet 4.6) was used to assist in the coding and formatting of this course information page. The instructor maintains full responsibility for the content and its alignment with university standards.