A team of Chinese scientists recently developed the first military AI to the world based on artificial intelligence (AI). Even if the China is one of the leading countries in the production of advanced military technologies, this step could be seen as controversial, since there is a possibility that the country itself could prohibit the use of AI in command roles during battles.
Despite possible restrictions future, Chinese scientists tested this AI commander in a realistic war simulation. According to the South China Morning Post, the AI is modeled after human military leaders, reflecting their strengths and weaknesses, personalities and thought patterns.
Military AI: A breakthrough in military technology
This project, revealed in May in a peer-reviewed paper in the Chinese journal Common Control & Simulation, is led by senior engineer Jia Chenxing. Jia said AI has enormous potential in military applications, but also carries significant risks. However, his team sees this project as a “workable” solution.
The virtual commanders are confined to the laboratories of the Joint Operations College of the National Defense University in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province. Here, the AI has achieved a level of authority unprecedented to command forces during virtual wars. This role is the highest publicly reported level of authority for AI in Chinese military research.
A comparison with the United States
In the United States, military AI serves only as a “virtual commander’s staff,” providing decision support without directly interfering in operations. In contrast, China-developed AI can make decisions autonomously, without any human interference. This makes China’s AI commander a basic decision-making entity with ultimate responsibility and authority over the entire operation.
Research shows that the AI military commander is learning at an exponential rate. While full details are only available in the aforementioned Chinese journal, this development could represent a sea change in the way AI is used in the military.
The use of AI in military contexts raises concerns on a global scale. The prospect of wars fought with the help of AI is not reassuring, and this new development could further accelerate the development of military technologies based on artificial intelligence. If we consider that many technologies in common use today, such as the internet and the telephone, were born in the military field, we can imagine a similar acceleration also for AI.
China has experimented with AI in military contexts in the past, using armed robot war dogs and attack drones. The idea of an AI-driven war is far from reassuring. While this is a laboratory experiment for now, this development raises significant questions about the future of military technologies and global security.
And you, what do you think about the use of AI in the military? Leave a comment and let us know your opinion!
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