June 14, 2018
New Frontiers of Chinese Defense Innovation: Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Technologies
Will the Chinese military succeed in advancing new frontiers of defense innovation? China has already emerged as a powerhouse in artificial intelligence and quantum technologies. The continued advances in these dual-use technologies may be leveraged for military applications pursuant to a national strategy of military-civil fusion. At this point, the trajectory of technological developments is uncertain, and considerable challenges remain to the actualization of deeper fusion of China’s defense and commercial sectors. However, if successful, China’s ambitions to lead in these strategic technologies could enable it to pioneer new paradigms of military power.
US–China strategic competition is intensifying at a time when a range of emerging technologies are poised to change the character of future conflict, perhaps even disrupting the current military balance. The recent trajectory of Chinese military modernization has enabled the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to achieve rapid advances and become a near-peer competitor to the United States. Increasingly, the PLA is not only seeking to catch up, but instead also competing in new frontiers of military power, even looking to leap ahead of the United States in future military competition. Xi Jinping has called for the advancement of military innovation, declaring that the PLA will emerge as a, perhaps even the, “world-class” (世界一流) military by mid-century. Chinese leaders recognize that the pursuit of innovation in strategic technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), is critical to achieve future competitive advantage.
Read the Full Article at the Institute for Global Conflict and Cooperation
More from CNAS
-
Iran Conflict Could Shift To Cyberspace, Experts Warn
Podcast
Hackers linked to Iran are probing American companies for vulnerabilities, cybersecurity researchers and U.S. government officials say. The warnings suggest that the next pha...
By Kara Frederick
-
Stories from the Backchannel: Season Two Trailer
Podcast
Now more than ever, Americans are interested in the people working behind the scenes on consequential national security decisions. In Season Two of Stories from the Backchanne...
By Ilan Goldenberg, Richard Fontaine, Susanna V. Blume, Kayla M. Williams, Price B. Floyd, Kurt Campbell & Kara Frederick
-
Transcript from U.S. AI Strategy Event: “The American AI Century: A Blueprint for Action”
Transcript
On January 10, the CNAS Technology and National Security Program hosted a major U.S. AI strategy event. We are pleased to share the transcript of the presentations and panel d...
By Robert O. Work, Paul Scharre, Martijn Rasser, Megan Lamberth, Ainikki Riikonen, Dr. Lynne Parker & Olivia Zetter
-
Episode 26 - Paul Scharre
Podcast
What are autonomous weapons systems? How are they used in modern warfare? And how do we strengthen international cooperation? In this episode, the Director of the Technology a...
By Paul Scharre
