The Role of Technology and Artificial Intelligence in Diplomacy: A Northern Europe Study

For the past centuries, diplomacy has been viewed as an evolutionary and vital component for a state to implement its raison d'êtat. However, the rapidly changing international environment nowadays has made us reevaluate the meaning of diplomacy on a much wider scale and context. Various types and subtypes of diplomacy serve as an example for this. Although, the range of publications on various diplomatic trends and their influence on international relations is growing year after year, there are relatively few research papers which take an analytic look at how the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) is dealing with new technologies and artificial intelligence (AI). Using Brian Hocking’s theoretical approach, the paper looks for answers as to how the MFAs in the Northern Europe - five Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland Iceland, Norway and Sweden) and three Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) are using new technologies and AI to strengthen national competitiveness. The empirical material is be based on 75 in-depth interviews with representatives of the MFAs, annual reports and declarations. As there has been no such study in the literature up to now, the research contributes to discussions by leading scholars about the role of technology in diplomacy and the scope of changes in the 21st century.