Meng Xiangqing, head of the Chinese delegation to the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue, speaks at a parallel session. Photo: Screenshot from the forum’s official livestream

AI-related topics are among the highlights of this year's Shangri-La Dialogue. On Saturday afternoon, Meng Xiangqing, the head of China's delegation to the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) responded to questions on AI development during a parallel session and said that China stresses that the final decision-making authority over weapon systems must remain in human hands, and that it opposes the development and use of lethal intelligent weapons that lack human control.

Meng said that, historically, every major scientific and technological invention has had two significant impacts on human society: on the one hand, it has brought tremendous development; on the other, it may also bring enormous disasters.

Speaking about the impact of AI on warfare, Meng said several military conflicts in recent years have profoundly reflected the influence of AI, while also showing, to a considerable extent, a more dangerous trend in the militarized use of AI. For example, various large models are playing an increasingly important role in decision-making, meaning AI is providing support for war-related decisions.

As a responsible major country, China has played an active role in managing emerging technologies. In his remarks before the interactive session, Meng said it is important to actively manage the risks of emerging technologies and prevent a "rules vacuum" in the military field. Allowing algorithms to control matters of life and death could very likely lead to technological loss of control, and even turn scenes from the US film The Terminator into reality. At all times, the control of war and relevant weapon systems must be firmly kept in human hands, he said.

China has submitted a position paper on regulating the military application of artificial intelligence under the framework of the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, and supports reaching a legally binding international instrument when conditions are mature, said Meng.