The competition to develop AI-powered autonomous weapons is intensifying.

With the advancement of AI, the competition to develop AI-powered autonomous weapons is intensifying. The New York Times reported on the global arms race involving AI weapons.

The Escalating Global AI Arms Race - The New York Times

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/12/technology/china-russia-us-ai-weapons.html

At a military parade held in Beijing in September 2025, the Chinese military showcased several drones. These drones are believed to be capable of autonomous flight and combat alongside fighter jets, and a U.S. Department of Defense official believes that this puts China ahead of the U.S. unmanned combat drone development program.

The U.S. Department of Defense has urged domestic defense companies to accelerate development in order to close the gap with China in AI drone development. Anduril, a defense technology startup and one of the companies involved, is said to have accelerated the production of its AI-equipped autonomous flying drones by three months.

The New York Times has noted that this arms race involving AI-related weapons is 'similar to the start of the nuclear age in the 1940s.' The military capabilities of AI are only just beginning to be understood, and because AI operates 24 hours a day, combat is becoming more unpredictable, potentially fundamentally changing the nature of warfare.

The AI arms race between the US and China may seem like a return to the nuclear age, but experts point out that 'AI and nuclear weapons are different.' Nuclear weapons had to be developed as a national-scale project, but AI technology is widely available, and virtually anyone can participate in its development. 'Startups and investors are playing a significant role in the military sector, becoming just as important as universities and governments,' the New York Times reports.

In private companies developing AI, some employees are refusing to allow their technology to be used for weapons, suggesting that securing cooperation from the private sector will be crucial in determining the success or failure of the AI arms race in the United States.

More than 3,000 Google employees submit petition to CEO Pichai urging him to stop cooperating with the Department of Defense - GIGAZINE

By Maurizio Pesce

Palmer Luckey, founder of the defense technology startup Anduril, argues that 'having AI weapons on both sides will create a balance similar to mutually assured destruction in the nuclear age.' He added that 'the enhancement of AI weapons will prevent large-scale wars.'