The Indo-Pacific’s Artificial Intelligence Defence Innovation Race
In the Indo-Pacific, this race is against a backdrop of escalating US/China rivalry. In this rivalry, the idea has taken deep hold that to be first with a new technology gives geo-economic and geostrategic advantages. China considers gaining the lead requires implementing appropriate national technology innovation strategies and some of these focus on AI.
China and others consider AI an emerging General Purpose Technology (GPT) that will become as omnipresent as electricity, an earlier GPT, now is. As a contrasting example, hypersonics attract high-tech defence forces but is irrelevant to most people globally and is a niche technology.
Consequently, AI is a national issue worldwide with defence AI a subset. In the Indo-Pacific defence AI race, China looms large with Australia, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, and India becoming involved.