8 November 2024

PRC Adapts Meta’s Llama for Military and Security AI Applications

Sunny Cheung

In September, the former deputy director of the Academy of Military Sciences (AMS), Lieutenant General He Lei (何雷), called for the United Nations to establish restrictions on the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in warfare (Sina Finance, September 13). This would suggest that Beijing has an interest in mitigating the risks associated with military AI. Instead, the opposite is true. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is currently leveraging AI to enhance its own military capabilities and strategic advantages and is using Western technology to do so.

The military and security sectors within the PRC are increasingly focused on integrating advanced AI technologies into operational capabilities. Meta’s open-source model Llama (Large Language Model Meta AI) has emerged as a preferred model on which to build out features tailored for military and security applications. In this way, US and US-derived technology is being deployed as a tool to enhance the PRC’s military modernization and domestic innovation efforts, with direct consequences for the United States and its allies and partners.

No comments: