SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

APLN member Tong Zhao was quoted in the South China Morning Post, where he commented on China’s decision not to sign an international declaration this month to keep humans – rather than artificial intelligence – in control of decision-making regarding nuclear weapons.

“At this stage, China’s approach is to engage in international discussions while being extremely cautious about making specific commitments that might tie its hands in the future,” said Tong Zhao, a nuclear expert and senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

“[China] is also interested in delaying its participation in international regulations to protest US export control policies against China’s access to advanced chips, which are crucial for its competition with the US over AI technologies.”

Although China’s nuclear policy experts have largely supported the principle of not allowing AI to make nuclear authorisation decisions, Beijing seems to have reservations, according to Zhao.

“China may worry that committing to such a principle could lead to greater pressure to provide transparency over its nuclear weapons and nuclear command, control and communication systems,” he said.

Zhao said other possible explanations included that Beijing may want to avoid supporting a mostly Western-led event organised by a US ally and a proposition it knows Russia opposes.

“That said, it’s hard to tell if China’s decision not to support the blueprint for action is primarily due to concerns about limiting AI’s incorporation into nuclear systems,” he said. “The blueprint also includes many other general commitments about regulating the military application of AI that China is not ready to make, fearing it could constrain its future options.”