Modern China faces a historic choice between military expansion and economic dominance, while emerging technologies like artificial intelligence are becoming the ideal tool for cementing imperial power.
Historian Ilya Chedoluma discussed this situation during a broadcast with political analyst Yuriy Romanenko.
Analyzing Thomas Barfield's "Shadow Empires," the historian noted that Beijing is currently wavering between two historical behavioral models characteristic of different Chinese dynasties.
"He says China is at a crossroads... whether to pursue the more aggressive, expansionist model of the Tang dynasty, or remain within the framework of the Song dynasty model, which focuses more on economic interaction with various players—essentially building economic alliances," Chedoluma explained.
He clarified that the Tang dynasty was geared toward conquest, while the Song dynasty relied on trade. The future geopolitical role of the PRC will depend on this choice.
Discussing the future world order, the historian expressed the view that technological progress will not destroy empires, but rather strengthen them.
"It seems to me that imperial structures... and artificial intelligence are things that link together quite easily. That is, AI will likely facilitate the formation of imperial structures rather than smaller entities," the expert noted.
Yuriy Romanenko cited the example of the Chinese city of Shenzhen, where technology already enables total control: "Where artificial intelligence is actively used to manage urban infrastructure, and where it has effectively introduced digital slavery."
Ilya Chedoluma agreed with this observation, concluding: "Artificial intelligence can interact with imperial structures perfectly well."
