Rise of Chinese AI and quantum computing threatens American military tech, says report for US Congress
- The days of the PLA lagging well behind the US in military technology are long gone, says analyst
- However, China’s strength decreases the further the conflict arena is from the mainland: defence expert
But security experts said the location of a conflict remained a major constraint for China to exercise its power as the nation’s advantages diminished the further from China’s shores that its military operated.
The report – “Emerging Military Technologies: Background and Issues for Congress” by the US Congressional Research Service – said the US was the leader in developing many of the advanced technologies. However, China and Russia were making steady progress in this area.
“China is widely viewed as the United States’ closest competitor in the international AI market … Recent Chinese achievements in the field demonstrate China’s potential to realise its goals for AI development … Such technologies could be used to counter espionage and aid military targeting,” said the report, which was released in early August.
While the US was not known to be developing lethal autonomous weapons, some Chinese manufacturers had advertised their weapons as being able to select and engage targets autonomously, the report said.
