How AI and cyber deterrence are undermining morality in global security

A new study warns that modern technologies are producing a form of invisible coercion that undermines global stability and human-centered governance. The entanglement of artificial intelligence (AI), nuclear deterrence, and cyberwarfare is giving rise to what researchers call “spectral violence”, defined as a persistent, ambient threat that erodes ethical decision-making and democratic oversight.

The study titled “Imagining Spectral Violence: On Morality and Meaning in the Cyber-Nuclear Age” appears in Thesis Eleven. For development practitioners, policymakers, and human rights advocates, the findings are a wake-up call. The authors argue that emerging systems of digital deterrence, driven by predictive algorithms, autonomous decision-making, and simulated threat modeling, are reshaping the moral foundations of global security. This transformation raises urgent questions for the future of peace, justice, and institutional accountability, all of which are central to inclusive and sustainable development.

How new military technologies are redefining security Paradigms

The study introduces the concept of “spectral violence” to describe a new form of deterrence in which violence is not enacted physically, but sustained through the constant threat of disruption. In this model, nuclear weapons and cyber tools operate not through deployment but through algorithmic anticipation, symbolic signaling, and predictive analytics. These systems form a technological architecture of fear, one that shapes international policy and governance without leaving any visible trace of conflict.

This redefinition of power has far-reaching implications for global development, particularly in fragile states and conflict-prone regions. In traditional warfare, the consequences of aggression are immediate and visible. But in the cyber-nuclear age, domination can occur invisibly, through surveillance systems, AI-led threat assessments, and cyber intrusions. These tools destabilize political environments and create asymmetries that entrench global inequalities.

For countries in the Global South, where digital infrastructure may be less developed and cybersecurity regulation is still emerging, the rise of spectral deterrence represents an expanded risk landscape. Development institutions are increasingly called upon not just to fund infrastructure or health systems, but also to navigate a digitally mediated environment where sovereignty, accountability, and trust are constantly under threat.

Why spectral threats undermine moral accountability and global justice

The authors highlight a pressing concern: the erosion of moral clarity in global security governance. As AI, big data, and autonomous systems begin to guide defense policies and international relations, decisions that once required human deliberation are increasingly being handed over to machines. The result is a weakening of accountability, where no clear agent can be identified when harm occurs.

This ethical vacuum is particularly concerning for the development sector, where transparency, participation, and justice form the bedrock of sustainable policy. International frameworks like the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 16 on peace, justice, and strong institutions, rely on the presence of clear moral frameworks and robust institutional oversight. Spectral violence directly challenges these foundations by shifting ethical reasoning into the abstract realm of machine logic and scenario-based modeling.

Moreover, this shift does not just affect military actors or technocrats. Civil society, democratic institutions, and development professionals increasingly operate in an environment where decisions are influenced by speculative simulations and ambient threat modeling. In this space, even the language of rights, fairness, and peace becomes unstable, subject to reinterpretation by digital systems that prioritize strategic calculus over ethical debate.

Reclaiming human-centric governance in the age of spectral power

The authors highlight the critical role of imagination in restoring human-centered governance. They advocate for a renewed capacity to envision alternative futures, ones where international peace is not built on threats of annihilation but on inclusive dialogue, mutual trust, and ethical design of technology.

This perspective holds significant value for the development field. The call for imaginative resistance aligns with ongoing efforts to decolonize global governance, democratize technology policy, and empower local communities to shape the digital systems that affect their lives. By exposing how current security systems are engineered to operate invisibly and without consent, the study challenges development actors to build new models of accountability and justice that resist abstraction and restore relational ethics.

It also reaffirms the importance of cross-sectoral collaboration. The intersections between AI ethics, international law, and development practice must be strengthened to address the challenges of spectral violence. Technology developers, military strategists, peacebuilders, and human rights defenders must work together to ensure that emerging security paradigms are grounded in human dignity, not merely in algorithmic logic.