[LINK] China’s military mouthpiece said AI-driven warfare was at a “turning point”.

[Stephen Loosley]

[SCMP] "Iran war shows ‘strategic value’ of AI for China’s military.."



Commentary calls it ‘inevitable’ and necessary for PLA to embrace artificial intelligence to gain the advantage in future warfare



https://sc.mp/47wcg



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China’s military mouthpiece said AI-driven warfare was at a “turning point”.



By Liu Zhen Published: 6:00pm, 24 Apr 2026

https://sc.mp/47wcg





China’s military mouthpiece has urged the People’s Liberation Army to speed up integration of artificial intelligence and said AI-driven warfare was at a “turning point” – as seen in the US-Israeli campaign against Iran.



In a commentary on Thursday, PLA Daily pointed to the use of AI in the Middle East war and said it was the first time the technology had been integrated into the entire cycle of operations – from analysis of intelligence to target identification, planning and assessment.



“This has practically demonstrated and validated the vast application potential and significant strategic value of AI in the military domain,” the article said, calling AI a “core engine” that was reshaping warfare, the armed forces and the global strategic landscape.



It said a rapid transformation of AI technology for combat was “inevitable” and necessary for the PLA to gain the advantage in future warfare.



The article identified the key areas where the PLA should focus, mainly to do with intelligent situational awareness.



It pointed to existing AI applications for “active early warning” that can identify targets and track the enemy in real time while providing threat alerts and predictions of enemy intent.



The potential to assist command and control was also seen as a critical area. It said AI could be used to optimise decision-making by simulating battlefield scenarios and automatically generating multiple combat plans along with quantifiable comparisons. There was also the advantage of a “second-level response” to sudden threats, and it could sync data across platforms, enabling seamless joint operations.



In logistics, intelligent algorithms could be used to predict and prearrange maintenance and supply needs based on equipment operation and attrition data. It also said smart warehousing and uncrewed transport could be used for the dangerous and complex “last mile” of delivering essential supplies to the battlefield, “providing a solid backbone for high-intensity, sustained combat operations”.



Meanwhile, integrating AI into munitions would enable the development of autonomous homing weapons that could operate effectively even with electronic interference, according to the article. It noted that swarm warfare as well as manned-unmanned teaming was possible by embedding AI into unmanned platforms.



“Unmanned systems can autonomously move into formations, conduct coordinated penetration, and execute swarm operations,” the article said. “Meanwhile, adhering to the principle of ‘human-in-the-loop’, a manned-unmanned collaborative combat system should be established with an optimised division of labour between humans and machines.”



For defence, it said AI could be used as a comprehensive shield across multiple domains. That means acting as a real-time detector and protector against hacking and cyberattacks in cybersecurity, carrying out signal recognition, and enabling intelligent jamming as well as anti-jamming capabilities in electronic warfare.



The military mouthpiece also noted that AI was crucial in cognitive warfare, which targets individual and collective attitudes and behaviour. To help with this, it said AI could be used to “intelligently screen for disinformation and public opinion infiltration, while rapidly blocking the spread of false information”.



It said the technology could also be used to develop “anti-AI” strategies to disrupt the opponent’s own intelligent kill chains, or stages of attack.



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By: Liu Zhen joined the Post in 2015 as a reporter on the China desk. She previously worked with Reuters in Beijing.