China has warned against excessive use of AI for military purposes.
Speaking at a regular press briefing, Chinese Defense Ministry Spokesperson, Jiang Bin expressed concern over the ethical implications of such practices.
His remarks came in response to a question about reports that the US military seeks unrestricted access to artificial intelligence (AI) technologies developed by American technology companies and has widely used AI tools in military operations against Venezuela and Iran.
“The unrestricted application of AI by the military, using AI as a tool to violate the sovereignty of other nations … and giving algorithms the power to determine life and death not only erode ethical restraints and accountability in wars, but also risk technological runaway.”
Jiang Bin
Jiang added that the trend risks turning the movie, The Terminator, which depicts a self-aware AI programme that brings about a nuclear apocalypse, into real life.
Jiang said that China advocates a people-centered approach and the principle of AI for good, stressing that human primacy must be maintained in military applications of AI and that all relevant weapon systems should remain under human control.
He stated that China opposes attempts to leverage advantages in AI and other emerging technologies to pursue absolute military dominance or undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries.
Jiang also said that China stands ready to work with other countries to advance multilateral governance of AI with the United Nations at its core, strengthen risk prevention and control, and ensure that the development of AI contributes to the progress of human civilization.
Also, Jiang said that the military strikes launched by the United States and Israel against Iran without authorization from the United Nations Security Council seriously violate international law and the basic norms governing international relations.
He said that China firmly opposes actions that infringe upon the sovereignty and security of other countries, as well as the abuse of force or the law of the jungle.
He noted that China is deeply concerned about the protracted conflict and its spillover into neighboring countries, warning that the continuation or escalation of hostilities would only push the Middle East toward a dangerous abyss and bring greater suffering to people across the region.
“It is our consistent position that resorting to force is not the right solution to international disputes. The continuation and escalation of hostilities produces no winner, and will only push the Middle East into a dangerous abyss, inflicting greater suffering on the peoples of the region.”
Jiang Bin
He added that the priority now is for all relevant parties to immediately stop military operations, return to dialogue and negotiations, and jointly safeguard peace and stability in the Middle East and beyond.
US Military Confirms Use Of AI Tools In War Against Iran
Meanwhile, the United States military confirmed using a “variety” of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the war with Iran amid growing concerns over mounting civilian casualties in the conflict.
Brad Cooper, Head of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), said in a video message that AI is helping US soldiers process troves of data.
“Our war fighters are leveraging a variety of advanced AI tools. These systems help us sift through vast amounts of data in seconds so our leaders can cut through the noise and make smarter decisions faster than the enemy can react.
“Humans will always make final decisions on what to shoot and what not to shoot and when to shoot, but advanced AI tools can turn processes that used to take hours and sometimes even days into seconds.”
Brad Cooper
The confirmation comes as calls grow for an independent investigation into the bombing of a school in southern Iran that killed more than 170 people, mostly children.
Although Cooper stressed that humans are making final targeting decisions, there have been growing concerns by rights experts over the use of AI in war.
Several reports have confirmed that Israel relied heavily on AI during its genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians since October 2023 and turned most of the territory into rubble.
The administration of US President Donald Trump has been seeking greater access to technological tools for military usage.
Coinciding with the assault on Iran, Washington has been locked in a public fight with Anthropic after the tech firm – which had a contract with the Pentagon – insisted that its AI models not be used for fully autonomous weapons and mass surveillance.
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