China is turning to artificial intelligence and big data to build a smarter military.
The upgrade is part of China's broader effort to build a military that is focused on combat readiness ahead of the 100th anniversary of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in 2027, amid rising tensions in the Taiwan Strait and South and East China waters, the SCMP reports.
The reform, called "end-to-end" recruitment, requires the People's Liberation Army to use data-based systems throughout the recruitment process, in accordance with the instructions issued by the General Bureaus of the Central Military Commission and the State Council.
The goal is to make recruitment completely digital, with greater efficiency, transparency and access to data at every stage.
And earlier this year, China piloted an algorithm-based system to prepare lists of potential candidates and assign them to military roles. Local military authorities then review the proposed lists, combining machine analysis with human judgment.
In Shenzhen, officials use big data from a "smart city command center" to locate residents eligible for military service, analyzing their census records, education and academic fields to develop targeted recruitment campaigns.
China prioritizes university students and graduates to meet the demands of increasingly sophisticated weapons systems, which is why college graduates have made up more than 70 percent of China's military recruits over the past three years.