The U.S. House Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection held a hearing on March 17 to examine the national security risks stemming from artificial intelligence, robotics, and autonomous sensing technologies developed by companies affiliated with the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
The hearing focused on companies like DeepSeek and Unitree Robotics to examine how these firms develop and deploy advanced technologies. Officials also looked at the potential risks associated with these systems when it comes to U.S. critical infrastructure, government networks, and sensitive industrial sectors. Law makers said they hoped to determine whether existing federal procurement safeguards and supply chain security tools sufficiently address the risks, and what steps Congress can take to strengthen U.S. companies and reinforce the American technology and manufacturing base.
“Communist China’s infiltration of U.S. networks through cyber campaigns like Salt Typhoon offers a preview of the risks we face when Beijing gains access to sensitive systems and data. Those risks could grow even more severe if CCP-backed technologies become embedded across key sectors of the U.S. economy. From AI systems like DeepSeek, which may be built on stolen intellectual property, to Chinese robotic and sensing companies like Unitree Robotics, America cannot risk dependence on or exposure to technology created by one of our greatest, most sophisticated adversaries,” Subcommittee Chairman U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) said. “The threats we face to our way of life from adversaries like China should be reason enough for Democrats to end this dangerous shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, which has placed two-thirds of the personnel at its core cybersecurity agency on leave.”
Law makers said the People’s Republic of China is moving aggressively to dominate technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics and autonomous systems, technology that is already reshaping the global economy and national security. And it is technology that is acquired by China from the U.S., and then replicated for a lower cost.
Law makers gave DeepSeek as an example. DeepSeek was released in January 2025. The artificial intelligence model rivaled the best systems produced by American AI innovators at a fraction of the cost. Within weeks, American AI companies raised concerns that DeepSeek had used their proprietary models, without their consent, to train its own model, illicitly reverse engineering the capabilities the American companies had developed through legitimate investment. Further investigation suggests that DeepSeek employees used third-party routers and the networks of unauthorized resellers to circumvent existing safeguards, and may have sought to override safety protections around biological and chemical weapons research, U.S. Rep. Vince Fong (R-CA) said.
Other concerns stem from hidden programming within some of the technologies, he said. Researchers have determined that systems within Unitree Robotics, a global supplier of robotic dogs and humanoid robots already deployed in American police departments, have vulnerabilities that could allow unauthorized access to live camera feeds, or even remote control of the devices. Additionally, research has found weaknesses that could allow one compromised robot to spread attacks to others nearby, and that some of the systems have been observed transmitting operational data back to servers in China.
Fong said America should not shy away from the technology, but support and develop American companies that produce it.
“American companies are innovating and competing seriously in robotics and artificial intelligence, and this Subcommittee strongly supports their work,” he said during the hearing. “The answer is not to retreat from these technologies. It is to invest in trusted American alternatives, strengthen cybersecurity practices, and prevent federal funds from supporting platforms that put American data and infrastructure at risk and give China an economic and military advantage.”