China has launched the world's first crewless drone carrier that uses artificial intelligence to navigate autonomously in open water.
The Zhu Hai Yun is an autonomous ship, that can transport dozens of air, sea, and submarine drones.<
The ship employs the world's first AI system, the Intelligent Mobile Ocean Stereo Observing System.
The ship will be remotely operated and capable of traveling at a maximum speed of 18 knots, or roughly 20 miles per hour.
"From a purely science standpoint, which is the angle China is promoting, we could see Chinese drones (both surface and subsurface, and launched from the Zhu Hai Yun) contributing to disaster mitigation, environmental monitoring, etc."
- Matthew Funaiole, Senior fellow of China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies
Beijing has officially described it as a maritime research tool. However, other analysts believe the ship may be employed as a military vessel.
The ship could be used by China's military to gather intelligence in the disputed South China Sea, which several nations have made territorial claims over.
