AI On Submarines ???

According to this report, China will put AI systems on their submarines to assist commanders:

http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2131127/chinas-plan-use-artificial-intelligence-boost-thinking-skills

In a former life, I was in the pipeline to become one of those commanders. I never made it, for a number of reasons, and I left the Navy after my engineer tour.

From my perspective, I can't see how the captain needs AI. What usually is lacking in an underwater tactical situation is data (due to the complexity of the underwater environment), and AI won't generate any more data. And when not at battle stations, most of the captain's time is occupied with "housekeeping" concerns, like keeping the reactor running. Putting such systems under computer control is something which was tried right from the beginning in US nuclear subs (e.g., USS Nautilus) and then rejected in favor of human control.

So what good would AI be in subs? None that I can see. And if it is not robust and reliable, it even might become a hazard should commanders become dependent on it only to have it fail during combat.

Nope, I suggest we stick with the basics - bearing, range, speed, angle on the bow. They were good enough for Dick O'Kane, and they're still good enough for me.