AI Access Controls and the Rise of a Digital Thalassocracy

(Ishita Deshmukh – Observer Research Foundation) Digital thalassocracy describes power derived from controlling AI chokepoints—chips, models, sub-sea cables and cloud infrastructure—mirroring how historical powers once dominated maritime trade routes. US restrictions on frontier AI mark a shift from controlling hardware to controlling access to advanced AI capabilities, making advanced models strategic assets and reshaping the discourse on global technology governance. Access controls aim to preserve capability asymmetries rather than deny access outright, but they risk creating a dependence paradox: restrictions may accelerate self-reliance, as seen with China’s Zhipu GLM 5.2. – AI Access Controls and the Rise of a Digital Thalassocracy