By Xie Hui

Recently, the US Department of War (DoD) announced cooperation agreements with multiple cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) companies to deeply integrate advanced AI technologies into its military combat systems. This move has once again sparked high international concern over the accelerated development of AI militarization.

Systematically advancing AI militarization layout

The move of the U.S. to partner with AI companies to promote military intelligence is no coincidence. Against the backdrop of great power competition, the U.S. has continuously securitized and militarized AI development, intensifying the confrontational nature of the AI competition.

In the early stages, the U.S. military primarily utilized AI for intelligence processing, image recognition, and target screening to efficiently handle massive data generated by drones, satellites, radars, and sensors. With the development of large models, multimodal technologies, and data fusion platforms, AI has expanded into fields such as command and control, mission planning, and joint combat coordination, evolving from a standalone tool into a critical pillar of military system operations.

Currently, the U.S. DoD is cooperating with multiple frontier tech firms to integrate advanced models, cloud services, computing platforms, and related software into higher-level military application scenarios. According to media analysis, the U.S. military has used AI tools to varying degrees for intelligence fusion, target identification, situational assessment, and auxiliary decision-making in operations related to countries like Venezuela and Iran.

In recent years, the U.S. defense community has increasingly emphasized that future military advantages no longer depend solely on traditional heavy platforms like aircraft carriers and fighter jets, but rather on the integration of AI, unmanned systems, commercial software, computing platforms, and rapid innovation mechanisms.

Accelerated AI militarization poses security risks

While AI military applications can improve efficiency, optimize decision-making, and enhance defensive capabilities, they may amplify military risks in the absence of necessary constraints.

First, it may lower the threshold for conflict. If misused, these technologies could make regional conflicts easier to escalate and spill over. Second, it increases the risks of misjudgment and blurred accountability. AI systems rely on data, models, and algorithms to operate, and the military domain leaves little room for error. Once a misjudgment occurs, the consequences are often irreversible.

China responds to challenges of intelligent warfare with strategic resolve

The U.S. acceleration of AI militarization reflects its strategic pressure regarding China's AI development momentum.

In recent years, China has developed rapidly in fields including AI application scenarios, industrial systems, open-source ecosystems, and engineering capabilities, forming a robust industrial foundation. Leveraging rich application scenarios, rapid engineering prowess, and a complete industrial system, China continues to enhance its comprehensive support for national security and socioeconomic development, while adhering to open cooperation and inclusive sharing.

Faced with the security challenges of the intelligent warfare era, China will neither underestimate the risks nor be coerced by the pace of U.S. AI militarization. Rather than falling into the trap of an AI arms race, China is committed to safeguarding national security while practicing the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind. By implementing the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security emphasized in the Global AI Governance Initiative, China seeks to promote AI to better serve human security, common development, and world peace.

(The author is an assistant research fellow at the Department for World Peace and Security Studies, China Institute of International Studies.)

Editor's note: Originally published on China.com.cn, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.