A comparative analysis of the United States and China’s experience in the military use of artificial intelligence technologies
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22433673 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Vitaly A Danilov (0009-0001-4678-7959, Peoples' Friendship University of Russia), Elena V Danilova (0000-0002-1628-551X, Peoples' Friendship University of Russia), Ivan R Dubrovskiy (0000-0003-2655-0927, Peoples' Friendship University of Russia) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 324-339 |
| Publication date | 2026-07-08 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Vestnik RUDN International Relations (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2313-0660 • E-ISSN: 2313-0679 |
| Publisher | Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (PUBLISHER • RU) |
| DOI | 10.22363/2313-0660-2026-26-2-324-339 |
| OpenAlex | W7168348826 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 12 |
The progressive economic development of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) with its further integration into the global economy, as well as the growing complexity of the international political environment due to China’s rising power, have revealed the need to expand the capabilities of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to protect China’s national interests in conflicts with developed states. A key technological innovation of the current stage of scientific and technological progress is artificial intelligence (AI). AI has already entered the list of technologies that are fundamentally changing the nature of war and peace, and has the potential to fundamentally reshape the militaryeconomic power of states, as it is actively used in the most advanced fields, including the space industry and virtually all military domains, particularly in command and control systems. The main rivals for leadership in AI are the United States and China. Both countries are actively developing AI-based technological solutions to modernize their armed forces. This could lead to increased strategic competition between the two powers. The study analyzes the experience of modernizing the armed forces and the concepts of their employment by the United States and China in the context of the military application of AI. The aim of the study is to determine the impact of AI adoption on the changing nature of warfare and the strategic balance of power between these countries. The object of the research is the armed forces of the United States and China in the context of their technological modernization and institutional improvement. The authors analyze the conceptual documents of the two countries and examine changes in the organizational structure of their armed forces in light of national strategies for the development and implementation of AI technologies in the military sphere. The authors conclude that the use of AI can significantly accelerate military operations, change concepts of warfare and the strategy for employing military forces, increasing the role of autonomous systems. The PLA is acutely aware of the importance of adapting to and benefiting from advances in AI, fearing a “generation gap” between its capabilities and those of the U.S. armed forces, which are perceived as a powerful adversary and, therefore, a key benchmark for comparison. Currently, in terms of the number of weapons systems under development using advanced technologies, the two states maintain parity. The future trajectories of these technologies in the PRC and the United States will influence the future strategic balance of power, potentially leading to the emergence of new forms and methods of employing armed forces, as well as changes in the fundamental documents of military development.
China · Military science · Military technology · Modernization theory · Politics · Revolution in Military Affairs · Strategic goal · COVID-19, Geopolitics, Technology, Migration · European and Russian Geopolitical Military Strategies · Global Political and Economic Relations
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |