China’s AI War Games ‘Pioneer’ Reportedly Dies in Mysterious Traffic Accident

A Chinese military jet flies over Pingtan island, one of mainland China's closest point from Taiwan, in Fujian Province on Aug. 5, 2022. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

In the early morning of July 1, China’s top artificial intelligence expert, Feng Yanghe, died at the age of 38 in what the Chinese state media reported as a “traffic accident.”

Reports of Mr. Feng’s death were viewed by hundreds of millions of people on Chinese social media, and many questioned the details of the tragic accident. According to the Chinese state media, Mr. Feng was traveling home in a military limousine after attending an important meeting in Beijing, and the vehicle rear-ended a truck, severely injuring the driver and killing Mr. Feng.

However, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported that Mr. Feng was in a taxi with a fatigued driver.

On China’s social media, netizens questioned why the nation’s top military scientist was not assigned a chauffeur and had to take a taxi instead.

Buried Alongside the CCP’s Elites

Mr. Feng was not well known before his death, but he was honored by the state media as a hero who “sacrificed” for his country. He was given a funeral ceremony at the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery on July 15. The Babaoshan Cemetery is exclusively for Beijing’s elites. It is unusual for someone like Mr. Feng to receive a funeral at the site due to his lower rank in the CCP’s hierarchy.

According to the obituary published by the NUDT, Mr. Feng was killed at around 2:30 a.m. on July 1, the anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), while working on a “major mission.” The death was described as a sacrifice instead of “death on duty.” It did not provide details on the mission.

It is a common practice of the CCP to organize extravagant ceremonies and parades on the Party’s anniversary because it is an integral part of the regime’s political propaganda. Beijing portrayed Mr. Feng as a hero and role model for “patriotism.”

No. 1 AI Expert

Beijing hailed Mr. Feng as a “genius scientist” and the “No. 1” artificial intelligence (AI) expert in the Chinese military.

Mr. Feng was born in 1985 in China. In 2003, he was admitted to China’s National University of Defense Technology (NUDT), a school under the direct supervision of the CCP’s Central Military Commission. He conducted a joint research program at Harvard University and the University of Iowa in the United States from 2011 to 2013. He returned to China in 2014 to work as a faculty member at NUDT, where he became an associate professor and doctoral supervisor.

Mr. Feng was recognized as a leading figure in the new generation of AI for the national defense strategy of the CCP. He received generous state funding for research and was the project leader of various Chinese military programs.

The most recognized contribution by Mr. Feng was the “War Skull” AI system for the Chinese military, a breakthrough in China’s national defense. The Chinese state media claimed it is a “superbrain” for military decision-makers, enhancing the ability to coordinate and control various combat platforms on land, sea, and air. The system was used in 10 departments covering military operations and defense industries. The AI command system was the first of its kind in China.

The CCP’s Ambitious AI Program

In 2021, a study by Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology showed that China was seeking to acquire AI systems capable of conducting several military objectives, including tracking U.S. warships, carrying out war game simulations for an invasion of Taiwan, deploying electromagnetic warfares, among other things.

Voice of America reported that the CCP views AI as one of the key technology areas in which it can expect to overtake the United States, and it spends more than $1.6 billion a year on purchasing AI systems and equipment. The Chinese regime has set a goal of becoming the world’s AI leader by 2030.

According to Chinese media, Mr. Feng’s War Skull system could predict U.S. military operations in the Asia-Pacific region and conduct war drills. It had been reported that Mr. Feng played a leading role in simulating realistic war game scenarios for an invasion of Taiwan.

However, some China observers believe Mr. Feng’s sudden death could slow down the development of the military’s AI technology. This could significantly impact the Chinese regime’s aspirations of rivaling the United States in military power.