Research Themes
China
This research theme examines Chinese practices in relation to weapons systems with automated and automated features. These include operational practices of design, development, and deployment, but also extend to a wider range, including China’s evolving stances as delivered in the context of the Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) on lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS). This is complemented by an analysis of practices performed by civilian developers of AI applications (in relationship with military actors) and how cultural-specific, often fictional representations of weaponised AI and robotics shape public discourse. Practices performed across these different societal contexts in China are considered as potentially productive of norms.
Articles on China
In and Beyond Great Power Diplomacy: Can Competition and Cooperation Co-Exist in US-China AI Governance?
Guest post by Ruofei Wang What role can diplomacy play in managing the competitive dynamics and cooperative potentials between the United States (US) and China—the world’s two biggest AI and military superpowers—on governing AI? The landmark Trump-Xi Summit in May 2026 marks a historic moment in US-China relations, amid the
Weaponised AI, Norms, and Order: Reflections from Research on China
By Guangyu Qiao-Franco and Qiaochu Zhang Within the AutoNorms project, China has been a key site for understanding how norms around autonomous and AI-enabled weapons are emerging, stabilising, and being contested. As the project draws to a close, this blog post sets out two key areas of findings from our
The Imaginaries of Human-Robot Relationships in Chinese Popular Culture
The portrayals of artificial intelligence (AI) and human-robot interactions in popular culture, along with their potential impact on public perceptions of AI and the regulations governing this evolving field, have garnered growing interest. Building on previous studies on public imaginaries of AI in Hollywood movies, particularly focusing on the Terminator
Can Track II Dialogues be the New “Ping-Pong” Diplomacy to Thaw the Sino-US Relationship on Military AI?
China and the US find themselves increasingly enmeshed in a deteriorating relationship as the two countries contest for primacy across many fields. Both Beijing and Washington view technological leadership, especially an edge in artificial intelligence (AI), as vital to gaining an upper-hand in this intensified power contest. As the two
AutoNorms
An international research project examining weaponised artificial intelligence, norms, and order
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Recent Articles
In and Beyond Great Power Diplomacy: Can Competition and Cooperation Co-Exist in US-China AI Governance?
Reflections on the Weaponised AI Policy Debate Throughout the ERC AutoNorms Project
Weaponised AI, Norms, and Order: Reflections from Research on China
How Practices Make Norms: Key Analytical Take-Aways from the ERC AutoNorms Project
Weapons Systems Data
Loitering Munitions Report Online Launch Event
