CSET’s Cole McFaul shared his expert analysis in an article published by the South China Morning Post. The article examines how China’s military is systematically incorporating artificial intelligence into its operations by leveraging civilian universities and private companies under its sweeping “military-civil fusion” strategy.
Within the dataset, it’s surprising to see these vendors that are outside of the traditional defence technology ecosystem in China really emerge as key suppliers.CSET Senior Research Analyst and Andrew W. Marshall Fellow, Cole McFaul
McFaul emphasized the growing importance of nontraditional actors, stating, “Within the dataset, it’s surprising to see these vendors that are outside of the traditional defence technology ecosystem in China really emerge as key suppliers.”
The article delves into the latest CSET report by Cole McFaul, Sam Bresnick, and Daniel Chou, titled “Pulling Back the Curtain on China’s Military-Civil Fusion.” It examines 2,857 AI-related defence contract award notices published between January 2023 and December 2024. The report finds that while China’s legacy defence sector players lead AI-related military procurement, an emerging set of nontraditional vendors and research institutions appears to play a consequential role.
To read the full article, visit the South China Morning Post.