How Epistemic Community Shapes Global Governance of AI in Military Domain?

Abstract The rapid development and applications of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in the military realm pose significant technical, ethical, and geopolitical risks. This article examines how members of the epistemic community, particularly Chinese academic and policy players, influence and shape the governance of AI’s military applications. Using social network analysis and comparative case studies, this research explores China’s interactions with its Western and non-Western counterparts, comparing their engagement in knowledge production as well as the construction of cooperative mechanisms. Our findings reveal that while Chinese stakeholders are quickly developing within the epistemic community, they lag behind their international counterparts in terms of knowledge production and their patterns of interaction within the global network. These Chinese members could strengthen their contribution by using a wider range of platforms to engage stakeholders and collaborate with international peers to produce knowledge about military AI. Our research is based on an original dataset of international academic and policy collaboration in AI’s military applications since 2013. This dataset will support and expand future research in this area.