Koichiro Takagi
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is using artificial intelligence (AI) to build a world-class military. It describes the concept of using weapons systems based on AI as “intelligentization,” which has been the focus of China’s military reforms in recent years.1 At the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on October 16, 2022, Xi Jinping mentioned the word intelligentization three times and stated that he would more quickly raise the PLA to a world-class military.2 The concept of intelligentization was not mentioned at the 19th Congress in 2017. Chinese researchers argue that the PLA can overtake the U.S. military by using AI to intelligentize.
The argument for the high potential of AI is not necessarily unique to the PLA. In May 2017, Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work stated that AI may change the nature of warfare.4 Does the PLA, like Work, believe that AI will fundamentally change even the nature of warfare? Or is the PLA overestimating the potential of AI? Does the PLA intend to use AI to strengthen its capability and is this reform even feasible. Indeed, some U.S. experts suggest that Chinese theorists overlook the inherent vulnerabilities of AI and autonomous systems and overestimate their capabilities.
This study reviews PLA Daily articles on the PLA’s use of AI and explores how they intend to use it. It then examines what the PLA thinks the possibilities and limitations of military use of AI are. Is the PLA overlooking the problems and vulnerabilities of AI? Or is it deeply aware of those vulnerabilities and still betting on AI’s potential? By looking at the breadth and depth of these perspectives, it’s possible to examine the viability of the PLA’s AI-focused military reforms.
No comments:
Post a Comment