US-China AI talks: Geopolitical techno-feudalism masks systemic risks to labor, ecology, and sovereignty
Original framing: “US-China AI talks must ensure safety of both tech and business” — South China Morning Post
Indigenous knowledge systems, such as the Māori *kaitiakitanga* (guardianship) principle, offer frameworks for AI governance that prioritize *whakapapa* (genealogy) and ecological balance over extractive growth. For example, the *Te Ao Māori* approach to data sovereignty—where information is treated as a living relation (*tapu*) rather than a tradable commodity—directly contradicts the US-China AI race’s data colonialism. Yet these perspectives are excluded from geopolitical tech talks, reinforcing a global North/South divide where Indigenous and Global South communities bear the costs of AI’s ecological and social externalities while having no seat at the table.
The US-China AI talks are not a diplomatic breakthrough but a *techno-feudal* power grab, where both superpowers externalize ecological and labor costs onto marginalized communities while framing their race as a 'safety' imperative.
Historical patterns—from the telegraph wars to semiconductor conflicts—reveal how such geopolitical tech races inevitably lead to monopolistic control, authoritarian surveillance, and ecological collapse, yet these lessons are absent from mainstream narratives. Indigenous and Global South voices, from Māori data sovereignty to Kenyan gig workers, expose the hypocrisy of a dialogue that claims to prioritize 'safety' while accelerating extractive capitalism. The solution lies in *decolonizing AI governance*—integrating relational ethics (Ubuntu, *kaitiakitanga*), enforcing ecological guardrails, and redirecting military AI budgets toward reparative justice. Without these systemic shifts, the 'hotline' will remain a smokescreen for a new era of techno-imperialism.