Of all the potentially new and revolutionary technologies, artificial intelligence (AI) may be the most disruptive of all. In layman's terms, AI refers to systems able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as visual and speech recognition, decisionmaking and, perhaps one day, thinking. AI has already defeated the world's best chess and Pokemon GO players. Suppose AI surpasses the intelligence of human beings. Could AI's super-intelligence cure cancer, enhance wellbeing, redress climate change and deal with many of the planet's worst evils?

There appears to be a growing consensus in global policy circles that military use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies is "inevitable." This perceived inevitability is largely a product of the P-5 – China, the United States, United Kingdom, France and Russia – actively pursuing military applications of AI while simultaneously opposing a ban on their development and production. The rationale for the pursuit of such technologies is simple: the advantages in terms of speed, lethality, and effectiveness provided by AI systems will make them an essential element of military dominance in the coming decades. AI is therefore a crucial part of China's strategy to displace the United States as the dominant power in the Indo-Pacific region. As Beijing sets its sights on dominance of the seas, it is also working to enhance its deep sea capabilities through "intelligentized" (智能) military systems, which in turn will have broader implications for the Indo-Pacific strategic nuclear balance.