The U.S. Department of Defense has raised the alarm after it suggested that China has implemented some of its artificial intelligence developments into the People’s Liberation Army.
The revelations could signal the beginning of an AI arms race between the U.S. and China, paving the way for an evolution in military operations for the future.
James Anderson, who served as the deputy undersecretary of defense during former President Trump’s presidency, shared with Fox News Digital that “the size, scope, and sophistication of Chinese military modernization programs is breathtaking.”
“The report makes clear that Beijing remains hell-bent on developing a world-class military force, despite its recent economic slowdown.”
The report Anderson referenced is the annual Pentagon report on Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China.
The report noted the 2022 National Security Strategy, saying that “the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is the only competitor to the United States with the intent and, increasingly, the capacity to reshape the international order.”
It goes on to say that “the 2022 National Defense Strategy identifies the PRC as the ‘pacing challenge’ for the Department of Defense,” adding that China has sought “national rejuvenation” leading up to the nation’s centenary in 2049.
“Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leaders view a modern, capable, and ‘world class’ military as essential to overcoming what Beijing sees as an increasingly turbulent international environment,” the report noted.
One of the primary ways in which China intends to “rejuvenate” itself is to implement “multi-domain precision warfare” that would seek to involve advances in big data and AI to “rapidly identify key vulnerabilities in the U.S. operational system and then combine joint forces across domains to launch precision strikes,” per the report.
The strategy is meant to aid China in coming up with “additional subordinate operational concepts” that would help the country win wars in the future. Fox News Digital reported that such developments would include advances in brain science, semiconductors, deep space, biotechnology, deep sea, and even polar-related technologies.
The Pentagon’s report went on to say that “Beijing has a clear understanding of its remaining S&T deficiencies and wields industrial policies and the country’s massive tech transfer apparatus in an effort to close these gaps.”
“China also sustains high levels of R&D funding and offers significant subsidies to domestic companies working on frontier technologies.”
Matt McInnis, a senior fellow for the Institute for the Study of War’s China program, said that China intends to match or surpass the United States in AI development by 2025. Additionally, he mentioned that the U.S. “is at risk of falling behind China in this area, including the integration of AI into warfighting systems.”
However, he offered a silver lining, noting that “America still has enormous resources and potential to stay at the top of the AI game, though.”
“In addition to our more open and competitive environment for AI development … we may have an advantage in taking a slower, more deliberative approach to deploying AI in warfare.”
“China places enormous importance on AI and other advanced technologies to overtake the U.S. military, often to the detriment of the training, doctrine, and personnel development that the PLA also needs. AI is not the panacea for the PLA’s weaknesses,” McInnis added, noting that it will be essential for the U.S. to locate “the vulnerabilities China creates by being over-dependent on AI.”
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