The experts, part of a US-China dialogue whose work helps inform official discussions, are urging both governments to prepare for such scenarios, amid growing concerns about increasingly powerful and autonomous systems.
An artificial intelligence system that interferes with a nuclear command network or launches a military cyber operation could leave Washington or Beijing with just minutes to decide whether the other government has attacked, according to security experts from the US and China, AFP reports.
Their proposals include red lines around nuclear systems, human control over consecutive cyberattacks, and a hotline for incidents involving autonomous artificial intelligence.
The recommendations were published last week ahead of planned government-level discussions on artificial intelligence and an expected meeting on September 24 in Washington between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Authors Melanie Sisson, a fellow at the Brookings Institution think tank, and Tianjiao Jiang, an associate professor at Fudan University, participated in the US-China dialogue on artificial intelligence and national security, agreed upon since 2019 by the Brookings Institution and the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University.
Their proposals show how the rivalry between the US and China over artificial intelligence goes beyond competition for advanced chips and designs and approaches questions long associated with arms control: how to prevent accidents from being mistaken for attacks, how to limit military decisions made by machines, and how to establish communication protocols for nuclear-armed rivals when technology behaves unexpectedly.
China’s Minister of State Security, Chen Yixin, wrote in a government publication this week that artificial intelligence is “fundamentally transforming the shape of military combat.” He said it has moved from a secondary role on the battlefield to a key role, citing AI-led attacks in the US-Israeli war with Iran.
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