The US Wants China to Start Talking About AI Weapons
The military potential of AI, however, has emerged as a major sticking point in an increasingly complex relationship between China and the United States. Many policymakers see the technology as a crucial way for the United States to gain an edge over its rival. This potential is one of the main reasons why the United States has sought to limit China’s access to advanced semiconductors is to hinder its ability to exploit technology for military purposes.
Policymakers advocating for the military adoption of AI also recognize that this technology can bring a range of new risks, including the possibility that the use of AI will increase distrust between potential adversaries or that Faulty systems trigger an escalation of hostilities.
“There should be some room to discuss the use of AI associated with lethal autonomous weapon systems,” says Paul Triolexpert on U.S.-China political issues at Albright Stonebridge Group, a strategic consulting firm.
Efforts to ban deadly autonomous weapons targeting humans have so far been spearheaded blocked in UN discussionsbut one new resolutionannounced this month, could give further impetus to the restrictions.
The United States and China must first agree on a definition of these weapons, Triolo says. But he believes discussions will inevitably be complicated by US sanctions, which directly target China’s ability to develop advanced AI. Any discussion “necessarily, in my view, should include a discussion of U.S. controls on advanced computer hardware,” he says.
Even if lethal autonomous weapons were banned, reckless use of AI could cause military systems to fail. The rapid adoption of low-cost, autonomous drones by forces fighting in Ukraine has highlighted the disruptive potential of this technology. has prompted many militaries, including the United States, to rethink their technological direction.
Only recently have the U.S. and Chinese militaries started talking to each other again. Beijing froze military negotiations after Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwanthe democratic island nation that it considers an inalienable part of China and which is also home to the world’s largest population. advanced semiconductor manufacturer, TSMC.
In February, after the United States shot down a Chinese spy balloon that had crossed North America, the Pentagon said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin unable to contact his Chinese counterpart via a special hotline.
Recent incidents in the South China Sea highlight the need for communication between the U.S. and Chinese militaries. In October, the US Department of Defense released video footage and images which he said shows Chinese fighter jets engaging in dangerous maneuvers near American planes in the region. This month, the Chinese Ministry of Defense posted his own images of what he called “trespass and provocation by a US warship” in the South China Sea.
China, however, has signaled its desire to relaunch dialogue. At the Xiangshan Forum in Tk, China last October, Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of China, said: “We will deepen strategic cooperation and coordination with Russia and are willing to, upon the basis of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, develop military ties with the United States”
