Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming how nations approach foreign policy and diplomatic relations, with large language models becoming valuable tools in international affairs.
With funding from the Pentagon's Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office, research institutions like the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) are experimenting with AI systems including ChatGPT and DeepSeek to address complex issues of war and peace. With funding from the Pentagon's Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office, the lab is experimenting with AIs like ChatGPT and DeepSeek to explore how they might be applied to issues of war and peace. While in recent years AI tools have moved into foreign ministries around the world to aid with routine diplomatic chores, such as speech-writing, those systems are now increasingly being looked at for their potential to help make decisions in high-stakes situations.
Researchers are testing AI's potential to craft peace agreements, prevent nuclear war, and monitor ceasefire compliance. The U.S. government is actively developing this capability, with both the Defense and State departments experimenting with their own AI systems. The U.K. is also working on "novel technologies" to overhaul diplomatic practices, including the use of AI to plan negotiation scenarios. Even researchers in Iran are exploring similar applications.
One promising application involves simulating world leaders such as Russia's Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping so that diplomats can test responses to potential crises. AI tools can also assist with ceasefire monitoring, satellite image analysis, and sanctions enforcement. "Things that once took entire teams can be partially automated," according to Andrew Moore, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security.
The State Department's vision for AI integration is ambitious but faces challenges. "In one version of the State Department's future... we've loaded diplomatic cables and trained [AI] on diplomatic tasks," and the AI provides useful information for resolving pressing diplomatic problems. The alternative scenario "looks like something out of Idiocracy," referring to the 2006 film about a dystopian future.
Despite the technological promise, experts highlight important limitations. Stefan Heumann, co-director of the Berlin-based Stiftung Neue Verantwortung, notes that "human connections — personal relationships between leaders — can change the course of negotiations. AI can't replicate that." AI also struggles with weighing long-term consequences of short-term decisions.
As nations race to develop these capabilities, the integration of AI into foreign policy represents a significant shift in international relations, balancing technological innovation with the irreplaceable human elements of diplomacy.