China vs USA war means PLA will deploy robot dog packs, self-aware drones! AI-driven arms race heats up

China wants to match the United States’ military power by using DeepSeek and artificial intelligence (AI) to its advantage, a latest report said. The leaders in both countries have urged their militaries to prepare for the worst scenario — a direct conflict — and Beijing has reasons to believe AI is the resource at its disposal that can help them catch up with the US in the arms race.

 

The ideas being floated include AI-powered robot dogs that scout in packs and drone swarms that autonomously track targets. These dogs would be primarily used to “sniff out” explosives and clear them before human soldiers get deployed.

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Beijing also wants AI to improve its military planning, including developing technology to quickly analyse images taken by satellites and drones. A DeepSeek-powered system would empower the country to assess 10,000 battlefield scenarios — each with different variables, terrain, and force deployments — in 48 seconds.

 

 

 

Chinese chips and technology will go to war

 

China's state-owned defence giant Norinco in February unveiled a military vehicle capable of autonomously conducting combat-support operations at 50 kilometres per hour. According to news agency Reuters, DeepSeek-related procurement notices have accelerated throughout 2025, with new military applications appearing regularly on the PLA network, according to Jamestown. DeepSeek's popularity with the The People's Liberation Army (PLA) also reflects China's pursuit of what Beijing calls "algorithmic sovereignty" — reducing dependence on Western technology while strengthening control over critical digital infrastructure.

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It was powered by DeepSeek, the company whose artificial intelligence model is the pride of China's tech sector. The Norinco P60s release was touted by Communist Party officials in press statements as an early showcase of how Beijing is using DeepSeek and AI to catch up in its arms race with the United States, at a time when leaders in both countries have urged their militaries to prepare for conflict.

 

With the integration of AI, the PLA expects its battle drones to need the minimum human intervention to align in formations, track targets and pursue, it said.

 

A Reuters review of hundreds of research papers, patents and procurement records gives a snapshot of the systematic effort by Beijing to harness AI for military advantage. Specifics of how the systems behind China's next-generation weapons work and the extent to which it has deployed them are a state secret, but procurement records and patents offer clues into Beijing's progress toward capabilities like autonomous target recognition and real-time battlefield decision support in a way that mirrors U.S. efforts. 

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The Pentagon, meanwhile, is busy brainstorming how AI can help them overcome the problem of the sheer numerical advantage the Chinese hold when it comes to the number of UAVs and soldiers ready for deployment.

Defence