Outpaced by the US, China’s military places selective bets on artificial intelligence
Why it matters: China's selective AI investments could give its military a faster "observe-orient-decide-act" loop in potential conflicts.
- The Chinese navy is enhancing its Qinzhou guided-missile frigate with an AI algorithm to improve air defense, a move state media and experts call a "major leap in integrated combat capability."
- China is taking a "cautious official posture" toward AI in its armed forces, according to Sophie Wushuang Yi, acknowledging it cannot currently close the overall gap with the United States in military AI capability.
- An institution under the People’s Liberation Army used AI to test drone swarms, with one soldier supervising approximately 200 autonomous vehicles, demonstrating AI's expanding role in unmanned systems.
- Malcolm Davis notes AI's growing importance in military space and cyberspace for managing complex orbital operations and planning cyberattacks, potentially allowing for faster decision-making loops.
- PLA leaders particularly value AI decision-making because most of their personnel lack battlefield experience, unlike American counterparts, according to Sam Bresnick.
While China's military is selectively integrating AI into its forces, exemplified by an AI algorithm on the Qinzhou frigate and drone swarm supervision, analysts like Sophie Wushuang Yi and Sam Bresnick agree it still lags behind the United States in overall military AI capability. Despite this gap, China is strategically leveraging AI for enhanced combat capabilities, battlefield perception, and decision support, particularly valuing it for its less experienced personnel.
