Does Beijing need AI talent in ‘public opinion war’ over South China Sea?

A leading South China Sea analyst has urged Chinese think tanks to recruit AI talent for the “public opinion war” over the disputed waters.

Wu Shicun, the founding president of China’s National Institute for South China Sea Studies, said Chinese humanities and social science research had traditionally operated in a “lone-wolf” fashion and lacked interdisciplinary diversity.

He added that physical maritime power alone would not offset losing the narrative battle. Once an adversary managed to frame an incident as “a big power bullying a smaller neighbour”, a delayed counter-response made that perception nearly impossible to reverse, he said. “That is why we urgently need talent in this field.”

He urged think tanks to employ more scientists and algorithm engineers, “moving beyond traditional scholars engaged in theoretical debate and replacing pure commentary with technical and engineering capabilities”.

Several other Chinese think tanks have been looking to harness AI to better monitor global public opinion and amplify China’s messaging overseas.