{"slug": "does-beijing-need-ai-talent-in-public-opinion-war-over-south-china-sea", "title": "Does Beijing need AI talent in ‘public opinion war’ over South China Sea?", "summary": "Wu Shicun, founding president of China's National Institute for South China Sea Studies, urged Chinese think tanks to recruit AI talent for the \"public opinion war\" over the South China Sea, speaking at a forum in Shenzhen on Saturday. Wu said Chinese humanities and social science research had operated in a \"lone-wolf\" fashion and called for think tanks to employ more scientists and algorithm engineers, replacing \"pure commentary with technical and engineering capabilities.\" Several other Chinese think tanks have been looking to harness AI to better monitor global public opinion and amplify China's messaging overseas.", "body_md": "Advertisement\n\n# Does Beijing need AI talent in ‘public opinion war’ over South China Sea?\n\nThink tanks, seen as a vital soft power tool by Beijing, have been urged to recruit more tech expertise to help sway international opinion\n\n3-MIN READ3-MIN\n\nA leading \n\n[South China Sea](https://www.scmp.com/topics/south-china-sea?module=breadcrumb&pgtype=article?module=inline&pgtype=article)analyst has urged Chinese think tanks to recruit AI talent for the “public opinion war” over the disputed waters.\nWu Shicun, the founding president of China’s National Institute for South China Sea Studies, said Chinese humanities and social science research had traditionally operated in a “lone-wolf” fashion and lacked interdisciplinary diversity.\n\n“The situation in the South China Sea is likely to evolve into a complex, multilayered competition … \n\n[Cognitive and public opinion warfare has become a primary battlefield](https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3361723/south-china-sea-beijing-and-manila-trade-blame-second-day-scarborough-shoal-clashes?module=inline&pgtype=article),” he told a forum in Shenzhen on Saturday.\nHe added that physical maritime power alone would not offset losing the narrative battle. Once an adversary managed to frame an incident as “\n\n[a big power bullying a smaller neighbour](https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3236324/south-china-sea-philippines-doesnt-want-war-will-stand-chinas-bullying-defence-chief-says?module=inline&pgtype=article)”, a delayed counter-response made that perception nearly impossible to reverse, he said. “That is why we urgently need talent in this field.”\nHe urged think tanks to employ more scientists and algorithm engineers, “moving beyond traditional scholars engaged in theoretical debate and replacing pure commentary with technical and engineering capabilities”.\n\nSeveral other Chinese think tanks have been looking to harness AI to better monitor global public opinion and amplify China’s messaging overseas.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nSelect Voice\n\nSelect Speed\n\n1x\n\nAI-generated voice", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/does-beijing-need-ai-talent-in-public-opinion-war-over-south-china-sea", "canonical_source": "https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3367357/does-beijing-need-ai-talent-public-opinion-war-over-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed", "published_at": "2026-09-13 13:00:06+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-13 13:10:14.519250+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-policy", "artificial-intelligence"], "entities": ["Wu Shicun", "National Institute for South China Sea Studies", "South China Sea", "Shenzhen", "China"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/does-beijing-need-ai-talent-in-public-opinion-war-over-south-china-sea", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/does-beijing-need-ai-talent-in-public-opinion-war-over-south-china-sea.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/does-beijing-need-ai-talent-in-public-opinion-war-over-south-china-sea.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/does-beijing-need-ai-talent-in-public-opinion-war-over-south-china-sea.jsonld"}}