On March 17, 2026, the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security held a special hearing focused on the significant threats posed by Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) technology and low-cost AI robots to American infrastructure and data privacy. Experts warned that these inexpensive technologies may contain “backdoors” for Chinese infiltration.
During the hearing titled “Examining the National Security Risks of Chinese AI and Robotics”, U.S. lawmakers highlighted that Chinese AI models, exemplified by DeepSeek, are rapidly penetrating global development environments at extremely low costs. In addition to software concerns, hardware risks were also alarming. Experts specifically mentioned the four-legged robotic dogs manufactured by Unitree Robotics, which are entering the U.S. market at a fraction of the cost of similar American products. These robots could potentially become mobile terminals for surveillance and data collection.
Vince Fong, acting chairman of the House Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Committee, stated, “Chinese companies replicate or acquire U.S. technological innovations, benefiting from massive state support to undercut competitors with low prices. They then leverage their growing market share to collect data and expand Beijing’s strategic influence.”
Experts noted that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) engages in malicious competition by subsidizing robotic platforms, aiming to undermine the U.S. robotics industry and create technological and industrial dependency while embedding structural cyber-physical vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure.
Michael Robbins, president of the International Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems, remarked, “Modern robots are highly interconnected entities within a network system capable of mapping, moving, monitoring, and even conducting physical destruction in the real world.”
Specific security threats include the potential for AI models and robots to transmit sensitive information back to the CCP, assisting in cyberattacks that could incapacitate U.S. financial, military command systems, and essential infrastructure such as transportation and communication networks.
Additionally, a report from the renowned tech media outlet The Verge detailed an incident where a Spanish man, exploiting a vulnerability in a DJI robotic vacuum, remotely controlled 7,000 Chinese-manufactured devices globally and accessed family data and images from 24 countries, raising significant security concerns.
Reported by New Tang Dynasty Television journalists Yu Liang and Shang Jing from New York.
Original article by NenPower, If reposted, please credit the source: https://nenpower.com/blog/us-house-of-representatives-raises-alarm-over-chinas-ai-and-robotics-threats/
