A study from Tsinghua University has opened a new front in the global technology race by asking a question that may have profound implications for industrial powers.
When commanding an artificial intelligence (AI) model to, say, design a better aircraft, does it matter whether you speak to it in English or Chinese?
The answer, according to the research published in China’s top aviation journal Acta Aeronautica et Astronautica Sinica on April 27, is mixed: Chinese may have an intrinsic advantage over English, but not by much – at least for now.
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Led by Professor Chen Haixin with Tsinghua’s School of Aerospace Engineering, the team created a sophisticated AI “agent” designed to perform a classic engineering task: reducing drag by tweaking the shape of a modern aircraft wing.
The AI was taught to “see” and “reason”. Using a Vision-Language Model (VLM), the AI was shown images of wing shapes and their airflow patterns, combined with a set of engineering rules and design history.
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It then had to propose subtle geometric modifications, such as adding a “bump” here or adjusting a curve there, to make the wing more aerodynamic. The AI learned through a process of trial and error, receiving a “reward” every time it successfully reduced drag.