Analysts say the US military’s use of artificial intelligence in strikes on Iran has become a wake-up call for China. The development strengthens Beijing’s drive to build its own chips and AI systems without relying on foreign technology.
The US Department of Defence used AI systems from company Anthropic during its Iran campaign, according to reports by The Wall Street Journal and Reuters. The technology helped with intelligence analysis, target selection, and battle simulations.
The Pentagon has signed contracts with multiple US AI firms including Google, xAI, and OpenAI for defence work. President Donald Trump recently announced Anthropic would be phased out of military systems over six months, but its technology was already deployed.
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William Wei, COO of Chinese cybersecurity firm WebRAY, said AI militarisation shows why China must control its own technology. Arun Menon from MTN Consulting added that visible Pentagon partnerships give Beijing political cover to speed up its self-reliance push.
AI models process massive amounts of data to identify targets and predict battlefield outcomes. The same technology that powers chatbots can scan satellite images, detect patterns, and suggest strike options faster than humans.
China already showcased AI-powered drones, tanks, and underwater systems in a military parade last September. These autonomous vehicles process real-time data to make decisions and carry out missions without human pilots.
Chinese AI companies take a different path than US rivals. They open-source their models, making them freely available. Sherman Chow from Chinese University of Hong Kong said this helps researchers find flaws but also lets attackers study the models for phishing and scams.
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The Pentagon is also discussing AI tools to scan China’s power grids and networks, the Financial Times reported. For Beijing, US AI firms are now part of America’s defence system, not just commercial businesses. This pushes China to build its own AI infrastructure from chips to models.
