China’s military has kicked off a debate on the use of ChatGPT, according to an analysis in the official People’s Liberation Army newspaper. This marks the first time China’s military has publicly discussed the use of artificial intelligence technology developed by the American company OpenAI.
As the ChatGPT wave continues to spread across the world, major internet technology companies have been joining the race by announcing their own versions of the technology. According to Mao Weihao, a lecturer with the Chinese Army Command College in Nanjing, the technology has potential applications in the military field. He believes that ChatGPT can be used both during peacetime and wartime to optimize intelligence processing, decision making, and simulations. In addition, it can be utilized to create false messages to manipulate public opinion in wars.
However, ChatGPT is not yet available in mainland China and Hong Kong. This has not prevented academics, students, and government officials from talking about its potential.
ChatGPT can also be used to develop systems such as radar, drones and unmanned combat. According to Mao, these applications are already being used in some developed countries, and the US Department of Defence has even implemented projects to research the use of drone swarms, underwater vehicles and ground-based mobile platforms for combat.
Nevertheless, there are vulnerabilities behind AI. Mao suggests that AI performance could be deceived by providing it training data that is different from the target. He also cites research from KU Leuven University in Belgium that suggests AI technology may not be able to recognize someone if they are wearing a certain A4-sized colored pattern. Additionally, AI has limitations in generating new knowledge, which reinforces the importance of human creativity in strategic planning.
OpenAI, an American company, is the developer of the artificial intelligence technology known as ChatGPT. The company was founded in late 2015 and was later acquired by Microsoft in 2019. OpenAI is well known for its focus on advanced AI development and has been credited for its achievements in natural language processing, computer vision and robotics. The company released its first ChatGPT in 2020, which is the latest iteration of AI technology used for natural language processing.
Mao Weihao is a lecturer at the Army Command College in Nanjing, China. He has years of experience in the field of artificial intelligence and has been researching AI technology and its potential applications in the military field. He has published several articles on AI technology and its usage in the military field. He has also been actively advocating for responsible and transparent guidelines for AI deployment in military settings.
