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The People’s Republic of China aviation experts have confirmed the use of large language model AI, such as DeepSeek, in designing the country’s next-generation of fighter jet aircraft.
Aviation and defence industry players are already using DeepSeek to fast-track mundane tasks, quickly review completed tasks and push new ideas in “future aerospace research”, according to information reported by the South China Morning Post and state-owned Chinanews.com.
Shenyang Aircraft Design Institute lead designer Wang Yongqing confirmed to the news outlets that China is using AI assistance to design its next generation of advanced warplanes.
“The technology has already shown promising potential for application, providing new ideas and approaches for future aerospace research and development,” Yongqing reportedly said.
“This is an important step … and points to the future direction of aerospace research.”
The Shenyang Aircraft Design Institute, a subsidiary of state-run Aviation Industry Corporation of China, has previously been involved in the design and manufacture of multirole military aircraft such as the J-15 twin-engine carrier aircraft and the J-35 stealth fighter jet.
DeepSeek was developed by Chinese artificial intelligence developer Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Basic Technology Research Co.
The company’s new AI assistant and large language model, R1, was launched earlier this year, quickly reaching the top spot for free applications on the Apple App Store in the US.
DeepSeek’s new AI assistant is powered by the DeepSeek-V3 model, which the company said “tops the leaderboard among open-source models and rivals the most advanced closed-source models globally”. The Chinese firm’s success has come as a shock to US AI and technology firms.
