Chinese Firms Use AI to Track US Military in Iran War

Chinese private technology companies with ties to the People's Liberation Army have been using artificial intelligence to analyze publicly available data and produce detailed intelligence on U.S. military movements during the ongoing war in Iran, according to an investigation by The Washington Post.

The conflict, which began five weeks ago, has seen these Hangzhou-based firms, including MizarVision and Jinghan Technology, market reports on the positioning of U.S. aircraft carriers, troop deployments and aircraft activity at bases across the Middle East. MizarVision, certified as a supplier to the People's Liberation Army, tracked the USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike groups in the lead-up to Operation Epic Fury, launched on February 28. The company published breakdowns of aircraft types and numbers at facilities such as Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, Al Udeid in Qatar and Ovda in Israel. Some of these sites later reported damage from Iranian airstrikes. MizarVision claimed to have verified data on more than 100 U.S. warships using cross-referenced ship and flight information.

Jinghan Technology, which serves China's Central Military Commission...