Tight rein on AI for military use

China submitted its position paper on regulating the military applications of artificial intelligence technology to the sixth review conference of the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons in Geneva on Monday.

The position paper is China's first proposal to regulate the military applications of AI, and it is also the first of its kind under the framework of the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons with the aim of preventing AI becoming a new field of international arms race threatening world security.

This is another important effort by China to actively lead the international security governance process in light of emerging technologies.

AI is profoundly changing the world. In the military field, various countries have accelerated the military application of artificial intelligence. That may have complex impacts on international security, strategic stability, governance rules and ethics.

China upholds a responsible attitude toward the development of AI technology. As it urges in the position paper it submitted, China calls on all countries, major ones in particular, to adopt a prudent and responsible attitude to developing and using AI technologies for military use.

Countries should comply with international humanitarian law, and avoid the weaponizing of AI, which may lead to indiscriminate killing.

Countries must ensure that their weapon systems remain under human control and an international mechanism with universal participation should be established to promote the formation of an AI governance framework and standards to prevent it being used as a decision-maker for weapons use in particular.

These propositions balance development and security, uphold the well-being of mankind, and uphold fairness and justice, demonstrating China's sense of responsibility as a major country.

What is alarming is that some countries, such as the United States, regard the military application of AI as a tool to maintain hegemony and military superiority.

They have drawn ideological lines, generalized the concept of national security, drawn their allies into a discriminatory clique, engaged in isolation, exclusion, conflict and confrontation, and attempted to set up artificial scientific and technological barriers to hinder the development of other countries.

Some US politicians have openly incited so-called "democratic countries" to fight against "technological authoritarianism" on various occasions in an attempt to put together a so-called group of technological democracies to curb other countries' scientific and technological development.

The US claims to be responsible in its use of military technology, but its frequent drone attacks often kill civilians. This shows that developing AI for military uses is the wrong path.