AI warship designer accelerating China’s naval lead

France 24 ^

[FarCenter]

China is set to supercharge its naval shipbuilding program with AI, accelerating production rates and potentially cementing its quantitative lead over the US.

This month, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that a research team from the China Ship Design and Research Center used AI operating on a small computer system to design a warship’s electrical systems in one day.

This task would reportedly take human designers 300 days using the most advanced computer tools, the source says. SCMP notes that the research team published their findings in the Chinese-language journal Computer Integrated Manufacturing Systems last month.

According to Luo Wei, a senior engineer with the ship design center, the AI accomplished 400 tasks with 100% accuracy, noting that although the AI showed areas for improvement, it could accelerate China’s shipbuilding program, as reported by the source.

SCMP says that the AI works by consulting a database of Chinese ship designs from past decades and then comes up with a design that is checked against the database, with this approach drastically reducing computing resources and eliminating errors.

However, the source also says that while the AI made mistakes in the design process, it does not work autonomously but rather functions with human guidance. SCMP also notes that the AI project received military funding, as the design process was the main obstacle to speeding up warship production rather than shipyard capacity.

The technology can further cement China’s shipbuilding lead over the US. Asia Times reported last month that the US could not match China’s shipbuilding output, as China has 13 naval shipyards, each with more capacity than all seven US naval shipyards combined.

China’s massive shipbuilding capacity has contributed to having the world’s largest navy at 340 ships, compared to the US at 280 as of 2022.

[sinsofsolarempirefan]

300 days isn’t particularly long considering the overall lead time of building a warship. AI can’t really be trusted to get it right, based on my experience talking to chatgpt.

[Jonty30]

There are still limits to AI, but as we figure out the science of AI, I can see its limitations disappearing in the near future.

[rbmillerjr]

China needs more shipyards, because half of that fleet will be on the South China Sea Iron Bottom Sound when war breaks out.

They also have so few allies, that there blue water navy is a coastal brown water navy, anchored to mainland bases and supply.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

China has 13 naval shipyards, each with more capacity than all seven US naval shipyards combined.

Holy crap!

[ProtectOurFreedom]

”…AI does not work autonomously but rather functions with human guidance.”

It is augmenting human capabilities. Or humans are augmenting the AI. Or they are collaborating.

[Blue Highway]

AI might be a worse decision that letting the Chinese build them. I wonder if they will have any weird anomalies as the AI usually does when you ask it somethng. Here's an example of a Chinese ship.

[xenia]

Our military is too busy becoming woke.

If we don’t learn from history we will repeat it. We haven’t learned. Americans for the greater most part are clueless, and the rest of us can not fix this.

[TwelveOfTwenty]

The technology can further cement China’s shipbuilding lead over the US. Asia Times reported last month that the US could not match China’s shipbuilding output, as China has 13 naval shipyards, each with more capacity than all seven US naval shipyards combined. China’s massive shipbuilding capacity has contributed to having the world’s largest navy at 340 ships, compared to the US at 280 as of 2022.

Thanks free traitors. That's money that could have gone into our military and infrastructure, but you thought sending it to China to save $.10 on communist made paint brushes was more important.

[Liaison]

1day to design it and 300 days to jerry-rig the install after the all corruption and nepotism.

[Roccus]

But can it design this?
Or more importantly, will it?

[sauropod]

.

[PIF]

Even so, the ships will be built using the tried and true CCP methodology - contracts go to the lowest bidder using the cheapest material, but still able to pay the Party the highest bribes.

[nicollo]

If our spy agencies aren’t too busy chasing white supremacists, maybe they can hack the US Navy LCS drivetrain designs into the Chinese AI knowledge base...

[Larry Lucido]

I would fashion it out of wire. Make it look just like the drawing.

[bobbo666]

A “quantitative” lead means a target rich environment. And, keep in mind that any AI cannot be better than the group of coders who wrote it. Self learning is within the limits created by those same coders.
It is faster, that is all.

Might be worthwhile, but don’t forget the little details.

[Vaduz]

Good point but it does remind me the a democrat spending bill plan.

[hinckley buzzard]

Just to make sure, Biden’s 2024 defense budget calls for the US Navy to be reduced by two ships, while China is expanding their numbers daily. Hopefully we won’t lose any more to dockside fires and open water collisions.

[MV=PY]

"This month, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that a research team from the China Ship Design and Research Center used AI operating on a small computer system to design a warship’s electrical systems in one day."

I'd never board that vessel!

[MrKatykelly]

So what is the combined Navy of China v USA when allied boats are included? Asking for a friend.