China warns US military AI use could create ‘Terminator-like’ future

BEIJING: China on Wednesday warned the United States that excessive military use of artificial intelligence could lead to a dystopian future similar to the film The Terminator.

Speaking at a briefing, Chinese defence ministry spokesperson Jiang Bin said unrestricted use of AI in warfare could undermine ethical safeguards and accountability in armed conflicts.

He warned that allowing algorithms to make decisions about life and death, or letting AI heavily influence battlefield decisions, could trigger “technological runaway” and destabilise global security.

“A dystopia depicted in the American film ‘The Terminator’ could one day come true,” Jiang said, referring to the 1984 movie in which AI-controlled machines wage war against humans.

The warning comes as the administration of Donald Trump has pushed for broader military access to artificial intelligence technologies developed by private companies. Reports say the United States Department of Defense has cleared Grok — developed by Elon Musk — for use in classified environments.

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At the same time, the Pentagon reportedly blacklisted the AI company Anthropic after it refused to allow its Claude system to be used for mass surveillance or fully autonomous lethal weapons.

Beijing said it opposes using emerging technologies like AI to pursue absolute military dominance or violate the sovereignty of other countries, stressing that humans must retain ultimate control over all AI-enabled weapons systems.

China also called for stronger international cooperation and governance of AI under the United Nations to prevent misuse of the technology in warfare and ensure it develops in a way that benefits humanity.