Technology and Peacebuilding: Debate Between Possibility and Peril

As we navigate the shifting terrain of peacebuilding in a digital age, it is tempting to ask: Is technology good or bad? Is it a force for harmony or harm? Yet such questions, while intuitive, may be too narrow to capture the complexities involved. Technology, after all, does not arrive with inherent moral direction. It acquires meaning through how it is used, by whom, and for what ends.

In the hands of those seeking connection, technology can become a bridge—offering new ways to communicate, collaborate, and create understanding across divides. Digital tools have been used to amplify marginalized voices, to coordinate humanitarian aid, and to facilitate dialogues that might not have otherwise been possible. Initiatives such as early warning systems, conflict-mapping tools, and online peace education platforms suggest the real potential for technology to support peace, not by replacing human engagement, but by extending its reach.

And yet, this is only one side of the story.

The very same tools that connect us can also be used to divide, surveil, or manipulate. Social media platforms have facilitated both civic mobilization and the spread of hatred. Sophisticated technologies have empowered both humanitarian workers and warfighters. Drones deliver medical aid in one context and bombs in another. Artificial intelligence may help prevent violence—or it may help identify targets more efficiently. The impact lies not in the tools themselves, but in the social and political landscapes into which they are introduced.

To explore this further, let us consider the many ways technology is implicated in conflict dynamics:

When Technology Contributes to Tension

Weaponization and Warfare: Technological innovations, from autonomous drones to cyberweapons, have reshaped the nature of conflict. While intended to increase precision or deterrence, such tools can escalate violence, blur lines of accountability, and deepen mistrust among adversaries.

Digital Battlefields: Cyberattacks, data theft, and disinformation campaigns are now part of modern conflict. These are not just technical events; they are also social and psychological—destabilizing institutions, spreading fear, and undermining cohesion.

Surveillance and Control: Tools designed for public safety can also be used to monitor, silence, or oppress. The question is not only what technology can do, but who controls it, and to what ends.

Resource Competition: As digital and extractive technologies demand new materials, competition over scarce resources such as lithium, cobalt, or water may intensify, raising the stakes for communities and governments alike.

When Technology Supports Peace

Connectivity and Dialogue: Communication platforms, when used with care, can enable dialogue across borders, foster understanding, and support transnational networks for peace.

Mediation and Analysis: New technologies—from virtual reality to big data—offer fresh approaches to analyzing conflict, simulating negotiations, or creating safe spaces for dialogue, particularly in areas where face-to-face engagement is difficult.

Early Warning and Preparedness: Algorithms trained on social, environmental, and political data can help identify patterns of instability, offering communities and institutions time to respond before violence erupts.

Humanitarian Applications: Technologies are also being deployed to demine former battlefields, deliver aid to remote regions, or reconnect separated families—efforts that ease the suffering of those most affected by conflict.

Neither Panacea nor Peril

While it is tempting to see technology as either savior or threat, the truth is more entangled. The digital divide—between those with access and those without—can widen existing inequalities. Ethical dilemmas around surveillance, automated decisions, or data privacy require ongoing reflection, not only from experts, but from communities, governments, and everyday users. And most importantly, technology cannot resolve the human questions at the heart of peacebuilding: how to listen, how to forgive, how to live together again after harm.

Technology reflects us—our intentions, our fears, our aspirations. It is shaped by the systems in which it is developed and the values of those who design and deploy it. As such, its role in peacebuilding must be understood as deeply relational. It is not just about what tools we use, but how we use them, why, and with whom.

Moving Toward Responsible Engagement

Several areas call for careful attention as we integrate technology into peace efforts:

Governance and Agreements: As technology outpaces regulation, international frameworks must evolve. Conversations around cyberwarfare norms, the use of autonomous weapons, and digital rights are still nascent and need sustained multilateral engagement.

Transparency and Accountability: Governments and tech companies alike bear responsibility for how technology is used in conflict contexts. Mechanisms for oversight, ethical review, and community input must be part of any serious approach to digital peacebuilding.

Education and Literacy: Peace cannot flourish if people are easily manipulated or excluded from digital participation. Strengthening digital literacy—especially in conflict-prone contexts—can help citizens better navigate information and misinformation alike.

Inclusive Innovation: Peace technologies should not be imposed but co-created with those who are affected by conflict. Local voices must shape how tools are developed and deployed, ensuring that innovations reflect diverse needs and contexts.

A Gentle Invitation

Rather than asking whether technology is good or bad, perhaps a better question is: What kind of relationships do we wish to nurture through our use of technology? Peace is not the absence of conflict, nor is it a technical outcome. It is an evolving set of relationships, shaped by history, identity, and shared futures. Technology, in this view, becomes not a determinant of peace, but one thread among many—capable of weaving connection or tension, depending on the hands that hold it.

If peace is to be more than a fragile truce, it must rest not only on infrastructure and institutions, but on imagination, ethics, and care. Technology, for all its power, cannot substitute for these. But it can support them—if we choose to use it that way.