PLA Asserts Human Command Authority Amid Push for 'Intelligentized' Warfare
China's military maintains that AI will serve as a data-processing tool rather than a replacement for human decision-makers.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) continues to maintain that artificial intelligence cannot replace the final authority and responsibility of human commanders. This stance comes as China aggressively pursues a national strategy to integrate AI into its military-industrial complex to achieve what it calls "intelligentized warfare."
According to the official PLA newspaper, Jiefangjun Bao, the military has consistently reassured that machines are intended to serve as support systems rather than decision-makers. In this framework, the PLA views AI primarily as a tool for processing vast amounts of sensor data and generating a range of tactical options. By automating these preliminary steps, the military aims to compress the "OODA loop"—the cycle of observation, orientation, decision, and action—thereby increasing the speed at which information is converted into operational moves.
The Drive for Intelligentization
This strategic focus is part of a broader national effort known as Civil-Military Fusion. Under this policy, China seeks to blur the lines between commercial AI advancements and military applications, ensuring that breakthroughs in the private sector are rapidly absorbed into the defense apparatus. The goal of "intelligentized warfare" (智能化战争) represents a shift beyond traditional mechanization and informatization, aiming to leverage machine learning and big data to gain a decisive edge in the cognitive domain of combat.
Implications for Command and Control
While the official line emphasizes human-in-the-loop control, the pursuit of extreme decision speed creates a fundamental tension. If the time required to process data is reduced to milliseconds, the window for human intervention narrows. This shift could fundamentally alter how military responsibility and accountability are managed within the People's Republic of China, as the reliance on AI-generated options grows.
Future Risks and Escalation
Industry analysts suggest that as the pace of conflict increases through AI integration, the risk of accidental escalation rises. When decision cycles are compressed to the limit, the potential for a machine-driven error to trigger a kinetic response increases, regardless of whether a human technically signs off on the final order. Observers will be watching to see if the PLA's public commitment to human authority holds as the technical capabilities of its autonomous systems continue to evolve.