US sounds alarm over China’s humanoid robots amid security concerns
AI and robotics executives warn American lawmakers that China’s rapid advances – led by Unitree – threaten US dominance
China’s speed of advancement in humanoid robots is alarming, and the US government should formulate coordinated policies and strategies to counter Chinese firms’ dominance in the industry, witnesses said at a hearing on Tuesday convened by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee of the House Committee on Homeland Security.
The witnesses, including executives from Scale AI and Boston Dynamics, recommended government actions including investigating the national security threat posed by Chinese robot makers, expanding export control measures to cover AI inference chips and potentially banning federal agencies from procuring certain Chinese AI and robotics technologies.
“The video went viral, not because it was impressive, but because of what happened when people compared it to last year, 12 months ago, [when] the same robots could barely shuffle through a dance routine,” Fenkell said.
Chinese humanoid robots pull off kung fu display at 2026 Spring Festival Gala
“This year, they’re doing karate. That is the speed of this competition … Winning requires a whole-of-government approach,” he said.