Xi Jinping Calls for Enhanced AI Use in Chinese Military
Quick Look
Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to boost its use of artificial intelligence and unmanned intelligent technologies to build an "intelligent military system." This directive reflects the leadership's focus on modernizing the PLA to meet its centenary targets.
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Why It Matters
Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to enhance its use of AI to develop an intelligent military, a move seen as reflecting the leadership’s thinking on achieving centenary targets.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to enhance its use of AI as part of a drive to develop an intelligent military.
He told a Politburo group study session on Thursday that the PLA should “strengthen the military application of unmanned intelligent technologies, deepen the development and application of network information systems, and gradually build an intelligent military system”, according to state news agency Xinhua.
Xi’s comments are a probable reflection of the leadership’s current thinking about how the PLA is progressing towards its centenary targets.
While Beijing has never explicitly defined the specific capabilities required to achieve this goal, the PLA has said the target involved the accelerated development of an intelligent force, as well as modernising its weapons and equipment.
These efforts are widely believed to require the integration of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) into the military.
Open Questions
- What are the specific capabilities required for an intelligent force?
- What is the timeline for building an intelligent military system?
- How will AI integration be implemented across the PLA?
