The Pentagon\u2019s first chief software officer has said China is heading for global dominance because of its advances in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and cyber capabilities, and that Washington has already lost the AI flight to Beijing.<\/strong><\/p>\n
Nicolas Chaillan told the Financial Times in an interview published on Sunday that he resigned in protest at the slow pace of technological transformation in the US military and because he could not stand to watch China surpass the United States.<\/p>\n
Chaillan, who spent three years on a Pentagon-wide effort to boost cyber security, told the British newspaper that the United States has failed to respond to what he called Chinese cyber and other threats.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have no competing fighting chance against China in 15 to 20 years. Right now, it\u2019s already a done deal; it is already over in my opinion,\u201d he said, adding there was \u201cgood reason to be angry\u201d.<\/p>\n
The 37-year-old said argued artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cyber capabilities were far more critical to the future of the US than hardware such as big-budget fifth-generation fighter jets such as the F-35.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether it takes a war or not is kind of anecdotal,\u201d he said.<\/strong><\/p>\n
The expert claimed that China was set to dominate the future of the world, and would control everything from media narratives to geopolitics.<\/p>\n
He pointed out that US cyber defenses in some government departments were at \u201ckindergarten level\u201d.<\/p>\n
A US national security commission warned earlier this year that China could overtake the US as the world\u2019s AI superpower within the next decade, according to the Financial Times.<\/p>\n
The rivalry between the US and China has intensified in recent years, with Beijing\u2019s growing international clout and rapid economic progress emerging as a viable counter-weight to the US.<\/p>\n
The United States has accused the Chinese government of widespread destabilizing activities in cyberspace, including through a massive breach of Microsoft email systems used by many of the world\u2019s big companies.<\/p>\n
Microsoft had previously claimed that hackers linked to the Chinese Ministry of State Security had infiltrated the software company\u2019s email systems in March. But the statement from the White House marked the first time that the US formally accused China of paying hackers to carry out ransomware attacks to extort companies for millions of dollars.<\/p>\n
READ ALSO:\u00a0 <\/strong><\/a>Jordan pledges support for crisis-hit Lebanon<\/a><\/p>\n