AIF Insights No. 8 (2026) | Teaching Sovereignty in the AI Age: A Self-Reflection

AIF Insights No. 8 (2026) | Teaching Sovereignty in the AI Age: A Self-Reflection

Release: 2026-02-19
Author: CHHEM Kieth Rethy, MD, PhD (Edu), and PhD (His)


This reflective essay explores how technological change reshapes the meaning of sovereignty, particularly for small nations navigating the AI era. Drawing on a multidisciplinary career spanning medicine, history, diplomacy, and nuclear risk governance, the author examines the intellectual motivations behind designing two courses, The Philosophy of Drone Sovereignty and Machines of Conflict. The article argues that contemporary sovereignty is increasingly epistemic, grounded in a nation’s capacity to generate, interpret, and verify its own data, rather than defined solely by territorial control. Through classroom experiences and lessons from nuclear crisis management, including institutional responses to Fukushima, the essay highlights how technological systems intertwine with organizational competence, public trust, and ethical judgment. It concludes that mathematics and physics are not merely academic disciplines but strategic foundations of national resilience, shaping a state’s ability to manage risk, maintain autonomy, and govern complex socio-technical systems in an age of automation.

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