China’s growing civilian-defence AI ties will challenge US, report says
Firms and universities outside traditional network emerging as key suppliers in PLA’s AI-related procurement, according to think tank
They included a Chengdu drone maker that sold a full combat system to the PLA, a top Beijing university commissioned to improve multi-drone coordination and targeting, and a remote-sensing and satellite navigation firm that won defence contracts for virtual drone training and a marine data visualisation project.
The report said blurring boundaries between China’s civilian and defence sectors would “pose significant challenges to US policymakers, companies, and universities”.
It said that was particularly the case “as the United States navigates difficult trade-offs between preserving openness, which is key to promoting innovation, and safeguarding national security”.
The analysts warned that the US could also end up being “ill-positioned to navigate the challenge of a China equipped with improving technological capabilities and a seemingly more agile defence industrial base”.