Will China’s embrace of military AI trigger a new arms race?
- Beijing is moving quickly to close the technology gap with the US
- China’s neighbours may also try to catch up as a consequence
The rush by China to incorporate artificial intelligence into its military could trigger a new arms race in the region, analysts have warned.
China is lagging far behind the United States in developing its AI capability but the gap is likely to narrow as Beijing pursues its plan to speed up development of an “intelligent military”, first outlined by President Xi Jinping in 2017 at the 19th National Party Congress, according to a report by the Centre for a New American Security.
The country has set up two major research organisations focused on AI and unmanned systems and present trends suggest that the gap with the US will narrow as China is moving quickly to develop its military AI capability, the report said.
China’s pursuit of artificial intelligence for its People’s Liberation Army forces is aimed at leveraging the emerging technology to enhance national power, according to Adam Ni, China researcher from Macquarie University in Sydney.
“Simulations and other exercises aided by AI are important to improve the PLA's training and combat readiness, and form a defensive network that makes it risky for adversaries to undertake military operations,” Ni said.