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
-
Biotech Matters: Problems with Life Science Databases in the United States
Reports
While humans will retain their ultimate mysteries, many aspects of their traits, diseases, and environment are becoming increasingly tractable. Much of this advance has come f...
By Carol Kuntz
-
Biotech Matters: Public-Private Coordination of Biotechnology
Reports
An appreciation of biotechnology’s great opportunities is, for many commentators, intimately joined with regret about a disconnect between the U.S. government and the private ...
By Richard Danzig
-
$6.6 billion TSMC deal in Arizona the latest in the CHIPS Act’s rollout
Podcast
“President Biden signed the CHIPS and Science Act just about 20 months ago, which in government time is yesterday. And they’ve hired 200 people,” said Vivek Chilukuri, a senio...
By Vivek Chilukuri
-
Response to NTIA Request for Comment: “Dual Use Foundation Artificial Intelligence Models with Widely Available Model Weights”
Commentary
In February 2024, the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) issued a Request for Comment (RFC) on the implications of “ope...
By Caleb Withers
