China ‘s next key foreign policy decision could be aided by artificial intelligence. The country is actively developing an AI system that will help lawmakers make policies based on unbiased data analysis, rather than human emotion.

SwissCognitiveWhen a policymaker needs to make an urgent decision in an ongoing, complex situation, the AI-powered system will be able to summon a range of options with recommendations for the best move in a matter of minutes.

As it stands, the technology is purportedly still in its infancy, but one-day hopes to provide an unbiased view of political scenarios, without any trace of fear or ‘moral concerns’ that could get in the way of the nation’s strategic goals.

Scientists with knowledge of the plans stress that human diplomats will still be behind the final policy decisions, with the AI acting only as a support system. China already uses an AI system in the foreign ministry to analyse oversees investment decisions, researchers revealed.

Chinese researchers confirmed to the South China Morning Post the government plans to use AI as part of the decision-making process in some government areas. Dr Feng Shuai, senior fellow with the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, whose research focuses on the application of AI, said the project was already gaining pace. ‘Artificial intelligence systems can use scientific and technological power to read and analyse data in a way that humans can’t match,’ Dr Feng said. ‘Human beings can never get rid of the interference of hormones or glucose.’

The technology would strip away the tiredness and fatigue that can hamper a politician’s judgement. Scientists said it would also be completely immune to human flaws that can make some political decisions difficult, such as passion, honour, and fear. ‘It would not even consider the moral factors that conflict with strategic goals,’ Dr Feng added.

However, in order successfully make informed decisions that will benefit Chinese society, the AI machine would need access to huge volumes of data. According to the researchers, this could be a stumbling block for the technology, since some of the data needed to assess the viability of each option may be difficult to obtain, or not exist at all in the case of some isolated regions or countries. […]


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