China Warns US Over Military AI, Cites Risk of “Terminator”

China has issued a stark warning to the United States over the military’s expanding use of artificial intelligence, saying that unrestrained application of the technology could push the world toward a “Terminator”‑like future where machines override human control.

A spokesman for China’s defence ministry, Jiang Bin, said Beijing is deeply concerned about what it described as the Pentagon’s pursuit of unchecked AI integration into warfare. He argued that “Such choices as the unrestricted application of AI by the military, using AI as a tool to violate the sovereignty of other nations, allowing AI to excessively affect war decisions, and giving algorithms the power to determine life and death… risk technological runaway.”

The comment reflects broader unease in Beijing about the ethical and strategic implications of autonomous systems, particularly as Washington has moved to integrate advanced AI systems into defence operations. China’s defence ministry statement stressed the importance of keeping humans firmly “in control” of AI in military contexts and called for international cooperation under the United Nations to establish governance frameworks for AI safety.

The warning comes against the backdrop of high‑profile disputes in the United States between the Pentagon and leading AI firms. In recent weeks, the US defence establishment designated AI company Anthropic a “supply chain risk” after the firm resisted allowing its Claude model to be used in fully autonomous weapons and mass surveillance—placing it at the centre of a broader debate over ethical AI in national security.

China’s remarks underscore growing international debate over how far AI should be permitted to shape military decision‑making and highlight fears that without strict limits, the technology’s role in warfare could erode ethical safeguards and accountability.