Digital Political Realism

The revolution in artificial intelligence that we are witnessing today makes the slogan "tomorrow is today" (Roosevelt, 2012) more relevant than ever before. Following a wave of skepticism regarding the political use of the latest technologies (Zuboff, 2019) and concerns related to the still-unknown possibilities of AI, a bold proposal has emerged in political theory that can be identified as a digital edition of political realism (Karp, Zamiska, 2025). What is particularly interesting is that the authors laying the foundations of this original approach are not classical political theorists, thinkers, or visionaries, but individuals who are as close to the practice of AI as is currently possible. Alexander Karp and Nicholas Zamiska – authors of the recently published book titled Technological Republic, are responsible for managing the company Palantir Technologies. Their work should primarily be read as a manifesto of a new edition of political realism in its digital form.

The popularity of the realist approach remains strong. Not only in strictly academic circles is this approach being developed in various directions, such as those related to geopolitics, leadership, and diplomacy. Practical handbooks teaching effectiveness in decision-making and strategy creation are also breaking into popular discourse (Greene, 2019). However, it is an undeniable novelty to apply the framework of political realism to thinking about the political use of the latest technologies based on artificial intelligence. In the book by the co-founders of Palantir, the very choice of its "patrons," whose words in the form of mottos open the book, gives much to ponder. On one hand, there is Thomas Schelling, known as the Nobel Prize laureate of 2005, who laid the foundations of strategic thinking in the United States for many decades. His approach, to put it briefly, is characterized by a departure from thinking in terms of values towards capturing the dynamics of decision-making processes arising from strategic thinking in its various forms – from consumer preferences, through the logic of racial segregation, to tracking the escalation of potential nuclear conflicts. Known as the co-creator of the "escalation ladder" concept, he is the author of the outstanding book titled "The Strategy of Conflict" (Schelling, 1960). On the other hand, the author referenced in the motto section is Michael Sandel, a popular American political philosopher, who gained fame for his in-depth critique of liberalism (Sandel, 1998) and as an advocate for the renewal of the classical approach to politics understood as a social practice inextricably linked to the category of community, which is why he is associated with being a leading author of so-called communitarianism (Dominiak, 2010). Digital political realism, as can already be inferred from the preliminary assumptions, is a kind of hybrid, within which strategy is to be intertwined with values, providing an alternative to the liberal stupor into which the West has fallen at the alleged end of History.

However, before I proceed to the discussion, it seems essential to outline the context arising primarily from the controversies related to the company Palantir. The thread that has permeated public discourse the most is related to the use of artificial intelligence tools in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The controversy lies in the fact that part of the decision-making process concerning the identification and elimination of enemies of the state of Israel has been delegated to AI. Based on data collected, among other things, in the form of video materials recorded by drones and navigation data, targets were identified and subsequently eliminated, reducing the human factor's involvement in the decision-making loop. The product that Palantir provides is a comprehensive AI platform that enables the optimization of processes and, as a result, selects targets necessary for elimination. It is unnecessary to explain how much controversy arises from this solution. The issue of responsibility for decisions made becomes blurred, and victims of military operations die as a result of decisions made by AI, if the category of agency can even apply to such situations. On the other hand, the effectiveness with which AI-supported weaponry is used is unparalleled in the entire history of conflicts that have occurred within civilization. Therefore, looking realistically at digital realism, it is not surprising that this company, in response to the need to justify its actions, had to present to the world, through the hands of Karp and Zamiska, its broader position regarding the aforementioned controversies. It is worth examining the arguments put forth in this morally challenging issue.

The guiding thought The Technological RepublicThe proposal is for the renegotiation of the relationship between the government sector and the private Big Tech sector. The authors rightly point out that the largest technology corporations base their business models largely on individual factors and the influence of consumer preferences and needs arising from the daily lives of individuals. Success on the global stage is achieved by applications related to transportation services, online shopping, hotel booking, food ordering, etc. The most popular social media platforms are used for sharing photographs and information about aspects of the lives of individual users. Not only software but also hardware is created with the needs of individuals in mind, symbolized by the products manufactured by Apple. Karp and Zamiska advocate for a shift in perspective and a focus on the potential arising from collective goals, which can only be coordinated by government institutions but implemented in collaboration with the private sector. This argument seems quite reasonable when we realize how much technological potential is directed towards relatively mundane outcomes. However, it is not merely about optimizing means and effects. The aim of the manifesto of digital political realism is to prove that stronger coordination between Big Techs and governments can lead to a more effective defense of the democratic world against the growing threat of warring autocracies. The advantage in the use of AI for military purposes could represent an advantage analogous to that arising from possessing nuclear weapons.

The line of argumentation goes as follows. A partial withdrawal from the discourse of values and a diversion of attention from religious issues, on a global scale, has facilitated the development of science and technology. However, when this state becomes permanent, it leads to nihilism. Development ceases to be oriented towards any goal, which could lead to its disruption, stagnation, or even cessation. Hence, there is a need to revise assumptions and reconfigure the action map at the intersection of science and politics. Hard power and soft power must go hand in hand. Modern technology must serve as a weapon of political power in creating global strategies. Interestingly, the authors emphasize the need for reforms in both sectors – the public government sector and the private technology sector. Changes in the former must involve reducing bureaucratic regulations and changing organizational culture. The internal structure of corporations has, by necessity, changed in response to stimuli from the environment. Companies from Silicon Valley, according to the authors, resemble colonies of artists and creative free thinkers, which provides a stark contrast to the rigid structures of public administration. The dynamics of the public sector diverges from the dynamics of the private sector. On the other hand, the morale of Silicon Valley corporations is in a state of decline. Decades of propaganda aimed at neutralizing worldview issues result in the exclusion of any notion of good, and thus the purpose that the community and its individual members should achieve. Here again, the authors refer to Michael Sandel, known for his critique of "market triumphalism," which he presented in a book with a striking title.What Money Can’t Buy. The Moral Limits of Markets(Sandel, 2013). In the absence of clearly formulated values and goals, the key dynamics for the development of technology must be managed by the market, which yields meager results compared to the possibilities that could be achieved through coordinated actions via public authority. So what do Karp and Zamiska advocate? A return to a political engagement intertwined with the machinery of a comprehensive state strategy. It seems that the authors understand well the context arising from the growing power of China, whose economic and political success lies in adopting a model opposite to the American model. A recent trend in literature identifies the key difference between the USA and China in the overall model of society, where China is a society of engineers and the United States is a society of lawyers. (Wang, 2025). The authors of "The Technological Republic" seek to change this state of affairs and utilize AI engineering to achieve a political advantage for the democratic world over other players on the international stage. In conclusion, they note that even if it was necessary to dismantle the old order, it is high time to introduce something new in its place and emerge from the vacuum of nihilism.The Technological Republic chcą zmiany tego stanu rzeczy i wykorzystania inżynierii AI do osiągnięcia przewagi politycznej świata demokratycznego nad pozostałymi graczami na arenie międzynarodowej. W podsumowaniu zauważają oni, że nawet, jeśli koniecznym było rozebranie starego porządku, to najwyższa pora by w jego miejsce wprowadzić coś nowego i wyjść z próżni nihilizmu.

This need arises not only from internal aspirations but also from international competition. Possessing nuclear weapons determined the shape of Cold War politics just as possessing AI weapons may determine the security architecture of the 21st century. Notably, the very name of the company Palantir refers to the universe outlined by Tolkien, where indestructible glass spheres – palantirs – allowed for insights into situations and provided an advantage in decision-making. This metaphor seems to say a lot about the essence of access to AI technology, where the greatest achievement, perhaps even overshadowing the power of the atomic bomb, will be the maximum shortening of the loop connecting data collection, their interpretations, and decisions. In this sense, software becomes hardware. This revolution poses new challenges for a realistic understanding of political action strategies. Considering the AI factor necessitates the analysis of new scenarios of confrontation and potential conflict strategies.

In summary, the manifesto of digital political realism should be regarded as one of the boldest intellectual proposals in contemporary political theories. Karp and Zamiska defend matters that are morally indefensible within the classical frameworks of thinking about the morality of military actions. Whether these classical frameworks will change or, conversely, technology will be tailored to fit them is a matter for speculation, but it seems we live in an era where tomorrow's resolutions are already happening today.

Sources:

Dominiak, Ł. (2010). The Value of Community. On the Political Philosophy of Communitarianism. Toruń: Adam Marszałek Publishing House.;Greene, R. (2019). The Laws of Human Nature. Penguin Books.;Harari, Y. N. (2024). Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI. UK: Random House.;Karp, A. C., Zamiska, N. W. (2025). The Technological Republic. Hard Power, Soft Power, and the Future of the West. New York: Crown Currency.;Roosevelt, E. (2012). Tomorrow Is Now: It Is Today That We Must Create the World of the Future. New York: Penguin Classics.;Sandel, M. (1998). Liberalism and the Limits of Justice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.;Sandel, M. (2013). What Money Can’t Buy. The Moral Limits of Markets. Penguin Books.;Schelling , T. (1960). The Strategy of Conflict. Harvard University Press.;; Wang, D. (2025). Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future. W. W. Norton & Company.;Zuboff, Sh. (2019). The Age of Surveillance Capitalism. The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power. New York: Public Affairs.

#5 Ł. Perlikowski (11.07.2025). Digital Political Realism. https://lukaszperlikowski.pl/blog