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China to train its brightest students to develop AI weapons
The Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) has selected a group of students aged 18 and under for training in an “experimental program for an intelligent weapons system”.
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The Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) has selected a group of students aged 18 and under for training in an “experimental program for an intelligent weapons system”. (Shutterstock/Panchenko Vladimir)
S
ome of the smartest high school students in China have been recruited to begin training in the development of AI military weapons , as reported by South China Morning Post.
The Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) stated on its official website that among 5,000 applicants, 27 boys and four girls aged 18 and under were picked for the training. The four-year program is being referred to as an “experimental program for an intelligent weapons system”.
A BIT professor who was involved in the screening process said that being bright alone was not enough. “A passion for developing new weapons is a must, and they must also be patriots,” he said.
Read also: Artificial intelligence development course offered for free by Google
According to a program brochure, each student will be mentored by two weapons scientists – one from an academic background and one from the defense industry. The students will be asked to choose a specialty field such as weapons design or mechanical engineering after completing course work in the first semester of the program.
Qi Yishen, one of the students, had a chance to enroll at China’s top educational institution, Tsinghua University, but he chose to join the program instead. Qi said his father, who wanted him to work in the defense industry, had influenced his decision.
China has been competing with the United States and a few other countries in the development of AI weapons. BIT is one of China’s top research institutions for weaponry. (iru/wng)
