Algorithmic Power Projection: How Major Powers Are Using AI to Reshape Sphere-of-Influence Dynamics in the Global South

Abstract

The proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies is fundamentally restructuring global geopolitical dynamics, creating new mechanisms through which major powers project influence into the Global South. This study examines how the United States and China, as the principal AI powers, are deploying algorithmic systems ranging from large language models and cloud infrastructure to AI-enhanced surveillance and autonomous weapons to reshape traditional sphere-of-influence dynamics. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of Cyber Statecraft and structural power, the research analyzes three primary mechanisms of algorithmic power projection: infrastructure provision (cloud computing and data centers), model diffusion (open-source versus closed-source AI systems), and security applications (AI-enhanced territorial surveillance and autonomous systems). The findings indicate that while the Global South possesses growing agency through coalition-building in multilateral forums and South-South cooperation initiatives, structural asymmetries including compute resource concentration, technical expertise gaps, and institutional power imbalances systematically advantage Northern powers. The study concludes that algorithmic power projection represents not merely an extension of existing geopolitical competition but a qualitative transformation in how influence is exercised, with profound implications for digital sovereignty, governance autonomy, and long-term developmental trajectories of Global South nations.