Senator Pete Ricketts has warned that Communist China is using a new weapon against the United States: artificial intelligence (AI).
Ricketts (R-NE) said during a Foreign Relations subcommittee hearing this week that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is using state-of-the-art AI to create “deep fakes” to destabilize the U.S.
Deep fakes are photos and videos that have been digitally manipulated to alter voices or images or other aspects of the content to appear authentic in an effort to deceive whoever is viewing the material.
“The threat of disinformation, weaponizing information against the United States and our allies to divide us, divide our citizens is on the rise,” said Ricketts. “It’s especially so because we all have access to [smart phones] now, so citizens and policymakers all have access to that through social media or other sorts of platforms. But the idea that our adversaries would try to use disinformation to devise is not new.”
In a recent op-ed for The Wall Street Journal, Ricketts wrote that China is investing heavily in AI research and development, and that it is using this technology to “gain an edge over the United States in economic and military competition.”
Ricketts pointed to the fact that China has already surpassed the United States in the number of AI graduates, and that it is building AI supercomputers that are more powerful than anything the U.S. has. He also warned that China is using AI to develop new weapons systems, such as autonomous drones and cyberwarfare tools.
Ricketts warned that China’s AI ambitions pose a serious threat to the United States. He called on the U.S. government to increase its investment in AI research and development, and to develop new policies to protect the country from the threat of AI-powered weapons.
Ricketts’ warning is a timely one. China is becoming increasingly assertive on the world stage, and it is using AI to advance its interests. The United States must be aware of this threat and take steps to protect itself.