By Gbenga Akinfenwa
Emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), blockchain, the metaverse, and orbital infrastructure have been identified as essential factors that are fundamental for reshaping statehood, governance, and citizenship, the Digital State Project, a new report has said.
The report released by Multipolitan–the platform for borderless living, described as a landmark report on the future of governance in the age of AI and blockchain, explores a future where governance is no longer bound solely by geography.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) & Co-Founder of Multipolitan, Nirbhay Handa, said: “We will soon log into nations, not just fly into them. For centuries, geography shaped sovereignty.
In the digital-first era, sovereignty will be shaped by digital identity systems and the rules that govern them.”
As nations confront rapid technological change and rising expectations from digitally native citizens, the report explores a future where governance is no longer bound solely by geography. “From on-chain citizenship and e-governance protocols to agentic nation states, space sovereignty, and the metaverse as a medium for human connection, the Digital State Project maps the frontier of what comes next for states and institutions worldwide.”
Across eight contributions, the report mapped how governance is evolving at the intersection of identity, intelligence, mobility, climate resilience, and space, with Handa exploring how Web3, blockchain-based identity, and digital citizenship are creating borderless systems where belonging is chosen rather than inherited in nations as a service.
Also, James Ellsmoor examined what constitutes statehood when physical territory disappears, discussing Tuvalu’s pursuit of safeguarding its sovereignty through digital means, redefining sovereignty in a digital world.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of RNS.ID, William Wang, discussed how Palau’s Digital Residency Programme extends sovereign identity beyond geography under Identity without borders.
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