Abstract
The EU is poised to tackle challenging global phenomena engendered by a new age of so-called future and emerging technologies (FET), such as autonomous robotics and artificial intelligence (AI). The EU has recently recognised their disruptive potential and transformative impact in the areas of security and defence.
Such game-changing technologies have important civil-military applications, intertwining multi-level actors and cross-sectoral technical, economic, and defence fields. By bringing together critical perspectives from sociology, security, and technology studies, the chapter examines the governance and research challenges of AI and autonomous robotics across Europe.
In this regard, it explores the emergence of a European trans-sectoral security field and the transformation of the EU into a high-tech powerhouse via new configurations of power relations in the case of future-oriented technologies.