China unveils world's first AI nuke inspector
The
technology , disclosed in a peer-reviewed paper published in April by researchers with the China Institute of Atomic Energy (CIAE), could bolster
Beijing 's stance in stalled international disarmament talks while fuelling debate on the role of AI in managing
weapons of mass destruction
The project, which is built on a protocol jointly proposed by Chinese and American scientists more than a decade ago, faced three monumental hurdles.
These were – training and testing the AI using sensitive nuclear data (including real warhead specifications); convincing
Chinese military leaders that the system would not leak tech secrets; and persuading sceptical nations, particularly the
United States , to abandon
Cold War-era verification methods.
So far, only the first step has been cleared.
'Due to the classified nature of nuclear warheads and component designs, specific data cannot be disclosed here,' the CIAE team wrote in their Atomic Energy Science and Technology paper.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
South Korea's presidential race dances to the beat of K-pop hits
In South Korea 's high-stakes presidential campaign, K-pop isn't just a cultural backdrop – it's a political strategy. Both major parties are leaning on Korean pop hits to energise voters, blending choreography and catchy lyrics with political messaging. Among the favourites at campaign rallies: Kim Jong-kook's Lovable and Young Tak's Next Door Oppa, are now fixtures in events across the country. But unlike the last US presidential election, where Kamala Harris secured endorsements from Beyoncé and Taylor Swift , South Korean artists have shied away from direct campaigning, which risks alienating fans. The opposition Democratic Party (DPK) has deployed a 48-member 'Shouting Korea' team, which travels nationwide in mobile units designed to create festive, street-level rallies.
South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Trump and Lee Kuan Yew similar in ‘common sense' approach: Hegseth
US President Donald Trump's instinct to 'challenge old ways of doing things' that no longer work and his emphasis on 'common sense' bore striking similarities to how Singapore's founding leader Lee Kuan Yew steered the city state from vulnerability to global relevance, American defence secretary Pete Hegseth has said. Advertisement In a wide-ranging address on Washington's Indo-Pacific approach at the Shangri-La Dialogue on Saturday, Hegseth drew parallels between the 'historic men', describing both as having a 'willingness to work with others, while respecting mutual self-interest'. 'Standing here in Singapore , I think this approach lines quite well with the pragmatic style of Singapore's legendary prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew,' he said. 'Across three decades, he built this country into one of the world's most important hubs of finance and innovation. Like the late prime minister, President Trump 's approach is grounded in common sense and national interests.' Washington, he added, rejected any 'paradigm that makes conflict inevitable'. Advertisement 'We are applying this common sense approach to defence here in the Indo-Pacific and throughout the world, and we believe the results speak for themselves.'
South China Morning Post
3 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Why US exceptionalism and the export of crassness is finally losing its shallow appeal
In early May, as Roman Catholic cardinals convened for their conclave , US President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself as the pope . Shortly afterwards, he declared that he would like to become a pontiff. Reactions from around the globe were swift, though not everyone was shocked. After all, this was American crassness at its finest – a spectacle the world has grown accustomed to. Trump is neither the first nor the only US figure to inure the world to such behaviour; there is a long list. Advertisement When Trump announced sweeping tariffs on global trading partners in April , with China bearing the brunt, financial markets plunged into their worst turmoil since the early days of the pandemic. Ignorance, arrogance, exceptionalism, and fear of 'the other' converged in a display of American crassness on steroids. Trillions of dollars evaporated from stock valuations. Only when the fallout became too severe did Trump pause tariffs for most countries, eventually negotiating with China in mid-May. Yet much of the American public missed the larger picture: these tariffs weren't about sparking a trade war or addressing claims of the world 'ripping off' America. They were a desperate gambit to prop up the American brand – a brand that was sustained for decades by economic hegemony and the 'exorbitant privilege' of the dollar, but is now facing its moment of decline. Donald Trump holds a chart outlining 'reciprocal' tariffs at the White House on April 2. Photo: AFP Desperate to project strength, Trump boasted that world leaders were queuing up to make deals and even 'kiss his a**'. To call such behaviour crass would be an understatement, but the world barely blinked. This crude bravado has long been central to the American way, manifesting in entertainment, politics, media, finance and even sports. To much of the world, it reflects the immature culture of a brash young settler nation. Wealth accumulated through the colonisation of Native American lands bred an unfettered arrogance that normalised such behaviour. The world once playfully dubbed this the 'Ugly American', but that playful tolerance only emboldened the American psyche. Today, this has culminated in a rogue state run by supremacists, supported by a large majority. The US trade deficit, often cited as justification for protectionist tariffs, is merely a symptom of a deeper malaise. The real issue is that American goods – and the culture that sells them – are losing their appeal. Nations like China South Korea , and before them Japan , now produce superior goods. Meanwhile America, high on its own rhetoric about globalisation, shifted its economy towards services dominated by the financial sector, hollowing out its manufacturing base. Yet Americans continued to borrow and consume at unparalleled levels, encouraged by the state. Living beyond their means, they amassed crippling debt. All the while, they were led to believe that their consumerism was the engine of global growth, a myth perpetuated by American business media like Bloomberg and CNBC. For decades, this propaganda painted American life as the global standard. What was once irresistible now feels unsustainable, replaceable and, to the rest of the world, deeply crass. The world has finally woken up to the unsustainable mechanisms of the US-led 'rules-based order' and the hollowness of the so-called American dream. So why did it take so long for the world to realise that this dream is, in truth, a paper tiger? The myth of American superiority
