In one way or another, China is doing its best to move ahead in the field of technology. This time, it is planning to build up research base deep in the sea, entirely run by artificially intelligent robots.

Scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences plan to manufacture a research base deep in the South China Sea, which would be run completely by AI robots and could be called as the ‘first artificial intelligence colony on Earth’, reported South China Morning Post.

The deep sea base run will be constructed between 19,685ft to 36,100ft below the South China Sea’s surface, however a specific location has not yet been decided. The base will be powered by cables running from it up to a ship or platform.

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The base will contain docking platforms similar to a space station. As described by Futurism, robotic submarines will leave the base from these stations for carrying out exploratory missions, surveying new areas and sea beds, and gathering data regarding marine life forms. The submarines will also collect samples of minerals that the base will be capable of analyzing autonomously.

Obviously the ‘AI colony’ won’t be easy and cheap to create. The researchers estimate that it will cost around $160 million (1.1 billion yuan) to complete. This colony could lead to improvement in our knowledge of climate change, leading to discoveries of new medicine, or identifying endangered or deep sea species.