Artificial Intelligence and China’s Grand Strategy

This paper offers a preliminary study analyzing the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the People’s Republic of China’s grand strategy. This paper examines the discourse on the role of artificial intel-ligence in China and how it fits into China’s grand strategy policies. Particularly, this paper will fo-cus on three grand strategy themes: leader’s perception, grand strategy means, and grand strategy ends. China’s evolving national interests and strategic ideas are the central concern for its grand strategy. Beijing has the most ambitious AI strategy of all nations and provides the most resources for AI development. Since 2017, the development of AI has become part of China’s grand strategy plans settings out goals to build a domestic artificial intelligence industry. The AI sector has turned into a national priority which was included in President Xi Jinping’s grand vision for China. China’s goals are to make the country “the world’s premier artificial intelligence innovation center for AI†by 2030. Ultimately, AI will foster a new national leadership and establish the key fundamentals for great economic power. There are many AI applications in several grand strategy means, including military and economic policies. This paper uses a qualitative content analysis method to examine the case. Data was collected from Chinese leaders’ speeches, government statements, official publi-cations, and Chinese state media. This paper concludes that AI will become one of the key compo-nents in China’s grand strategy means, including economic, military, and intelligence capabilities. By promoting AI technology, China’s grand strategy ends are to maintain national power, national face, and international reputations.