China is embedding artificial intelligence across its armed forces, from electronic warfare to autonomous drone swarms, as part of a broader push to achieve what President Xi Jinping has called the key to global power status in the 21st century. The strategy, outlined in a 2017 national AI development plan, sets a target of world-leading capabilities by 2030, and has since been reinforced by military doctrine and public demonstrations.
According to a report in the South China Morning Post, China is advancing an 'AI Plus' approach to electronic warfare, using machine learning to predict and jam enemy drones at distances of up to 5,000 kilometres without relying on satellites. This would be particularly valuable during solar storms or electronic attacks. The same technology is being used to simulate radio behaviour in the air and at sea, potentially enabling instant communication between drones and submarines.
From Drone Swarms to Robot Dogs
Public displays of China's military AI have included coordinated drone swarms shown during the annual Victory Parade. Frank O'Donnell, senior research advisor at the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network, told European Pulse that these swarms are designed to overwhelm enemy sensors and make autonomous attack decisions. 'These drone swarms are a good way to demonstrate the capability in a way that looks impressive, but with a fairly low risk of failure,' he said.
China has also showcased AI-assisted naval systems, including a decision-making tool that improved the stealth of a guided missile frigate in 2025. Videos of 'robot dogs' moving without human assistance have circulated online, but Sam Bresnick, a research fellow at Georgetown University, cautioned that such demonstrations are often staged. 'I don't put really any stock in those videos because they are completely controlled environments,' he said. 'We don't know if the robot is being controlled by people off-screen.'
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) uses the term 'intelligentized warfare' to describe a systemic effort to integrate AI, robotics, and unmanned systems into platforms and decision-making. According to O'Donnell, the endpoint is unlikely to be fully autonomous weapons, as Beijing has repeatedly stressed the need for human control. Instead, the goal is a human-AI model where a commander sets the intent and the AI executes it, effectively acting as 'digital staff officers' that assign tasks and coordinate actions in real time.
Gaps and Uncertainties
Despite these public displays, experts agree that reliable information about China's military AI progress is scarce. 'It's hard to evaluate how far along China is,' O'Donnell admitted. Procurement notices suggest the PLA is interested in large language models for automating back-end operations and decision-support, and there are indications it may integrate public models like DeepSeek into its systems.
China's manufacturing strength gives it a clear advantage in producing hardware at scale, but the software and integration challenges remain significant. Bresnick noted that the PLA is likely working on many more AI technologies that are not publicly visible, particularly in decision-making, sensory, and communication systems. 'This would be in the building out the decision-making, sensory, communication systems and integrating AI into all that with the goal of making sure that the entire military can act more swiftly to both overwhelm and confuse the enemy,' O'Donnell explained.
The race between China and the United States to militarise AI has direct implications for Europe. As both powers anticipate a future conflict that could escalate quickly, the country with the best AI adoption would hold a decisive advantage. European defence planners are watching closely, particularly as debates over defence financing heat up in Brussels. The push for SAFE II reflects growing recognition that Europe must invest in its own technological capabilities to remain relevant in this new arms race.
Meanwhile, the European Union's diplomatic efforts, led by Kaja Kallas, are struggling to maintain unity amid internal power struggles. The fight to save EU diplomacy is complicated by the need to balance transatlantic ties with a more assertive stance toward Beijing. As China's military AI ambitions become clearer, European policymakers face a stark choice: invest in their own AI defence capabilities or risk falling behind in a contest that will shape global power dynamics for decades.
