Attention as Power: If you can shape what people see, know and believe, how much power do you have?
Conversation between Carl Miller and Haroon Sheikh
Power has always depended partly on controlling information. But digital platforms, algorithms and artificial intelligence are changing the scale, speed and mechanisms through which that power can be exercised. The battle for attention is no longer simply about clicks, advertising or social media. It is becoming entangled with geopolitics, technological sovereignty and the ability of societies to understand reality itself.
States compete over technological infrastructure. Platforms influence what billions of people encounter. AI systems increasingly mediate how we search for, interpret and produce information. And geopolitical actors are learning how to manipulate these new information environments. So what does power mean when controlling the information environment can be as strategically important as controlling physical territory or resources?
Haroon Sheikh and Carl Miller explore this emerging landscape and ask why understanding technology alone is not enough. To understand the new struggle for power, we also need to understand societies, institutions, cultures and human behaviour.