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US-China relations
ChinaMilitary

US should use AI to beat Chinese censors in case of Taiwan attack, think tank chaired by former Google CEO says

  • Exposing Chinese population to information beyond state propaganda would help to distract authorities from military moves, Virginia-based non-profit says in report
  • China’s ruling Communist Party has added ‘opposing and containing Taiwan independence’ to its constitution, in a push towards taking control of the island

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Disrupting China’s ability to control information could help to destabilise its society, a report from a US-based think tank says. Photo: AP
Jack Lau
The United States should use artificial intelligence to defeat China’s censors and undermine social stability in case Beijing attacks Taiwan, a US-based think tank has advised.
Such a move would expose the Chinese population to information beyond state propaganda and distract authorities from offensive military operations, according to the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP). The Virginia-based non-profit grew from the former National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI), an independent commission in the US government.
China’s ruling Communist Party, in concluding its 20th national congress last weekend, added the phrase “opposing and containing Taiwan independence” to its constitution for the first time, having previously only called for pursuing “national reunification”.

While it has long been Beijing’s goal to take control of the self-governed island it sees as breakaway territory, by force if necessary, the constitutional revision solidifies the policy as the bedrock to President Xi Jinping’s goal of rejuvenating the Chinese nation.
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The Taiwan issue is a major flashpoint in US-China ties, especially after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei in August, in defiance of Beijing’s warnings, prompted unprecedented live-fire drills around the island by the People’s Liberation Army.

The US, like most countries, does not recognise Taiwan as independent. However, Washington has supported Taipei’s efforts to gain greater recognition in international organisations.

02:27

Latest US delegation to visit Taiwan pushes for closer economic ties with self-ruled island

Latest US delegation to visit Taiwan pushes for closer economic ties with self-ruled island

The SCSP report, titled “The Future of Conflict and the New Requirements of Defence” and published earlier this month, said disrupting China’s ability to control information could help to destabilise its society.

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