The Obstacles to China’s AI Power

China is investing in state-of-the-art AI -enabled military capabilities.

But Beijing still faces obstacles that may slow its implementation of military AI , writes Andrew Hammond .

Hammond: Beijing 's plans and actions have unsettled many observers in Washington .

He says Beijing is unlikely to fully ameliorate the Chinese military’s decision-making difficulties. Hammond: The bureaucratic morass of the PLA 's culture will likely put it at a disadvantage when using AI in the complex, fast-paced wars of the future.

Xi has consolidated command structures to ensure the PLA ’s loyalty and purged, suspended, or placed under investigation several senior military officials.

Xi 's craving for control, for example, may mean that he or his closest subordinates will try to lead military operations from afar.

The unpredictability and unreliability of current-generation AI might also make it difficult for the PLA to fully trust these new tools.

Each country's political and military culture will shape the use of emerging tools that could define military advantage in tomorrow ’s conflicts.

Beijing may be underestimating the challenges it will face in putting AI to use.

Washington cannot control how China may deploy AI -enabled military technologies.