In recent years diplomats have increasingly employed pop culture in their digital communications. Some nations, for instance, celebrate Star Wars Day on May the 4th tweeting at their followers. Others employ pop culture memes when attempting to shape global public opinion. Countries such as Ukraine, Russia, Israel and the UK have all relied in popular... Continue Reading →
Digital Diplomacy in the Age of Trump: An Analysis of “Rapid Response 47”
In January 2025, the Trump White House unveiled a new Twitter/X account titled “Rapid Response 47.” From the perspective of digital diplomacy, such an account may be of strategic importance. The ubiquity of social media, smartphones, and digital technologies has ushered in an era of instantaneous news dissemination and real-time crisis communication. In this dynamic... Continue Reading →
Digital Diplomacy and the Crisis of Diplomatic Credibility
Diplomacy hinges on credibility. As Ben Mor aptly notes, “being perceived as honest and reliable is a necessary condition for obtaining and holding the attention of target audiences, as well as for effective persuasion.” States that are perceived as duplicitous or deceptive struggle to engage with global publics, let alone persuade them to accept their... Continue Reading →
The Roaring 2020s? On the AI Frenzy and the Future of Digital Diplomacy
The rapid and consecutive launch of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools over the past two years has generated a global frenzy. Large language models such as ChatGPT and Gemini have already amassed hundreds of millions of users and have been hailed as ushering in a new technological era marked by limitless data-driven insight and creativity. Global... Continue Reading →
Monday’s Digital Diplomacy Must Read List
Each week, I publish a list of interesting articles, essays and reports that may be of interest to the digital diplomacy community. This week- How Big Tech Is Killing Innovation (The New York Times) Why does AI hallucinate? (MIT Technology Review) Does what happens on your iPhone still stay on your iPhone? (The Guardian) China... Continue Reading →
Towards the Strategic Use of AI in Diplomacy
Whatever happened to the Metaverse? In June of 2022, Facebook officially changed its name to Meta reflecting a strategic decision to develop applications for the Metaverse. Hailed as the future incarnation of the internet, the Metaverse was described as a digital plane that would exist alongside the physical plane. Generated by advanced augmented and virtual... Continue Reading →
Monday’s Must Read List
Each week, I publish a list of interesting articles, essays and reports that may be of interest to the digital diplomacy community. This week- How to Redeem Social Media (The Atlantic) Face recognition in the US is about to meet one of its biggest tests (MIT Technology Review) Why some celebrities are embracing Artificial Intelligence... Continue Reading →
Monday’s Must Read List
Each week, I publish a list of interesting articles, essays and reports that may be of interest to the digital diplomacy community. This week- Uncensored Chatbots Provoke a Fracas Over Free Speech (The New York Times) Israeli technology pioneers using drones, AI and big data to farm (Times of Israel) Can China develop its own... Continue Reading →
ChatGPT and the Future of Diplomacy
In recent works, scholars and diplomats have begun to experiment with ChatGPT, the generative AI bot that has taken the world by storm. For scholars of diplomacy, ChatGPT is yet another digital innovation that may disrupt the work of diplomats. Just like social media, big data, messaging apps and bots, ChatGPT may prove both useful... Continue Reading →
Monday’s Must Read List
Each week, I publish a list of interesting articles, essays and reports that may be of interest to the digital diplomacy community. This week- Revealed: the hacking and disinformation team meddling in elections (The Guradian) Why you shouldn’t trust AI search engines (MIT Technology Review) ChatGPT is confronting, but humans have always adapted to new... Continue Reading →