China Issues Noteworthy Warning About AI, Says Humans Are Still the Decisive Factor on the Battlefield

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) recently warned that artificial intelligence (AI) will not be able to replace humans in making decisions on the battlefield.

Trung Quốc ra cảnh báo đáng chú ý về AI, nói con người vẫn là yếu tố quyết định trên chiến trường

The final decision rests with the human commander to guard against errors stemming from the black-box nature of AI. (Source: Shutterstock)

"AI must work in tandem with decision makers to optimize command efficiency, augmenting rather than replacing humans," an article published in the People's Liberation Army Daily on December 31, 2024 said.

AI can be used to augment human capabilities – through data analysis, simulation or planning – but cannot replace our roles, the article says.

“As AI develops, it remains a tool guided by human judgment, ensuring accountability. Creativity and strategic adaptability remain top priorities in military decision-making,” the article commented.

According to the article, human autonomy and creativity are indispensable factors on the battlefield. While humans in command roles can react to situations dynamically and exploit enemy weaknesses, AI operates within predetermined algorithmic boundaries and the technology's responses often lack originality.

The PLA has proposed a model where “humans plan and AI executes” where technology is used to execute strategies and tactics developed by commanders while retaining an element of human oversight.

However, "the final decision rests with the human commander to guard against errors stemming from the black box nature of AI".

Another weakness of technology, the PLA believes, is its inability to take responsibility for decisions made, unlike human commanders who can adjust plans to respond flexibly to situations.

The article also said that even advanced equipment, such as automated missile defense systems, often relies on human operators to make final decisions to ensure accountability.

China is a strong advocate of regulating the use of AI in the military, having previously submitted documents to the United Nations on the subject, stressing the need for “human control of technology.”

ChinesePresident Xi Jinping has stressed the need to control technology, and in his most recent meeting with his US counterpart Joe Biden in Peru two months ago, the two powers agreed that "humans, not AI, should decide how nuclear weapons are used."

The Pentagon's latest annual report on China's military, released last month, said the PLA is pushing for human-machine collaboration, aiming for "algorithmic warfare" and "network-centric warfare" by 2030.

The report notes the PLA’s significant investments in autonomous vehicles, predictive maintenance, automated target recognition, and submarine drones. At the same time, the PLA is looking to use civilian AI initiatives in areas such as drones, image recognition, and intelligent decision-making.

The United States is also looking to use the technology. Last month, the Pentagon's chief of digital and AI, Radha Plumb, revealed details of a plan to integrate the technology into combat operations, which she described as "the first major effort to deploy advanced AI to support real-time warfighter needs."

The US acquisition of this technology from "adversaries" such as China, Russia, Iran and North Korea "is accelerating and poses significant risks to national security," she warned.

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