In a recent statement, a senior U.S. official has called on China and Russia to join the United States and other countries in declaring that decisions to deploy nuclear weapons will exclusively be made by humans, not artificial intelligence. Paul Dean, the principal deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Arms Control, Deterrence, and Stability, emphasized this stance during an online briefing.

The U.S. has openly made commitments ensuring that human operators have total control over the use of nuclear weapons, a policy mirrored by other nuclear powers such as France and Britain. "We would welcome a similar statement by China and the Russian Federation," Dean said, highlighting the importance of this norm as a responsible behavior within the global community, particularly among the P5 members—the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.

This plea comes amid the Biden administration's efforts to engage in deeper conversations with China concerning nuclear weapons policies and the advancements in artificial intelligence. The topic of AI's implications in military and defense strategies surfaced prominently during discussions between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing last week.

During those discussions, both nations agreed to initiate their first bilateral talks on artificial intelligence in the upcoming weeks. These talks aim to tackle the management of risks and safety concerns surrounding the rapidly evolving technology.

In addition to AI discussions, the U.S. and China have resumed dialogues on nuclear weapons as of January, aiming to normalize military communications. While formal arms control negotiations may still be off the table for now, these preliminary discussions are seen as crucial steps towards mutual understanding and potentially more formal agreements in the future.

China has been vocal about its stance on nuclear weapons, having called for a no-first-use treaty among the largest nuclear powers as a starting point for broader arms control negotiations. The Chinese defence ministry has yet to respond to these latest developments from the U.S. administration.