More than a dozen humanoid robots are standing in front of a snow-covered mountain range. They run through a shooting range with machine guns, kneel down to shoot targets, change magazines, and go through obstacle courses.
The scenes in the 48-second video currently circulating on social media are likely set in China, with the national flag flying in the background. But is it true?
Claims were circulated in many languages, including Turkish shown here, that the video showed actual military exercises in China.×
Claim: “China releases video of target practice with Terminator-like robots,” said a post on X that has been viewed 375,000 times. Another post said: “China has deployed over 10,000 robot soldiers to reduce human costs in the event of a China-Taiwan war in 2027.” Still other posts refer to the video as “Unitree Robotics Robot Shooting Test,” including one that has been viewed over 1.5 million times on X. This video has been shared in many other languages with similar claims, including Arabic, French, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, Portuguese, Georgian, and Vietnamese.
DW Fact Check: fake
The robot in the video is based on the G1 model from Chinese company Unitree Robotics. However, these scenes were clearly created using artificial intelligence. Some users have at least suggested that the video may have been generated by AI, but they continue to post with false claims.
DW Fact Check found a high-resolution, slightly shorter version on YouTube that revealed more detailed information through a reverse image search of still images from the video. Frame-by-frame analysis revealed some inconsistencies unique to AI that could not have been created in the editing process.
In the middle of the video, the robot reloads the magazine. Two seconds later, the magazine disappeared without a trace under the rifle barrel.
First, the robot reloads, but if it continues to move, the magazine will be lost from under the weapon.×
A person with a radio in hand can also be seen issuing orders to shoot. When he raises his hand, it merges with the device to form a single mass. The two cars in the background appear to transform and merge.
Typical AI errors: Hands often appear deformed in individual frames, and background objects blend together unnaturally (such as the car in the image on the right).×
The robot moves through the ghostly piles of sandbags without stepping over them. The letters on the robot’s chest disappear multiple times and only partially resemble the company name “Unitree” that usually appears on real G1 models.
On the left is an actual photo of the G1 robot with the Unitree company name on its chest. On the right are two examples of AI videos, but with clearly different names.Imago / X
Forensic ballistics expert Philip Kachy also pointed out logical flaws in the video. “There were no shells fired in at least two locations, and an empty magazine was loaded into the weapon at 0:23,” he said, concluding that he was “almost certain” the footage was generated by AI.
The video was actually also uploaded and labeled as such on Bilibili, a popular video platform in China.
dancing robot
Unitree Robotics specializes in the development and production of quadrupedal and humanoid robots. DW contacted the company about the video, but these questions remained unanswered at the time of publication.
The company says on its English-language website that it is known for its civilian robots. Unitree’s social media profile also highlights the complex movements its robots can master, including dance, martial arts, and navigating rough terrain.
The company recently made headlines after its robots performed choreographed routines during Lunar New Year celebrations, performing somersaults and kung fu moves.
There is no recent mention of weapons or military use in the company’s profile, but this does not exclude the possibility that such experiments are underway. Nevertheless, the AI videos in circulation do not depict actual exercises with Unitree robots.
Similar videos cause controversy
Another video has recently spread around the world on social media, this time showing humanoid and quadruped robots performing target practice inside abandoned houses.
Also AI: These humanoid robots with firearms accompany quadruped robots and drones in battles between ruins.×
Claim: “It’s true!!! China’s Unitree humanoids are now firing Type 191 rifles!” user X claims in a post that has been viewed more than 680,000 times in less than a day. Another article says, “Kung Fu robots are being trained to use weapons.” In French, a Facebook user shared both videos at the same time, emphasizing that they were not AI. The video has also been shared in Spanish, Arabic, Turkish, and Korean, all of which make no mention of AI.
DW Fact Check: fake
The video has a watermark pointing back to the Bilibili platform and was posted by the same user who shared the first video with the note: “Unitree robot squad tactical attack training, AI-generated video content is for entertainment purposes only.”
If you look closely at this video, you’ll also see inconsistencies that hint at AI. At 0:33 a target appears out of nowhere to shoot at, and at 0:38 one of the robots pulls its leg out while jumping over a solid fence.
This video was edited before distribution on other networks. Logo and text elements were added to make it look like a television report from the national television station CCTV Military. However, the logo text is missing.
Text added to the bottom of the video announces, “Expert Analysis — Military Report: New High-Tech ‘Friends’ in Action! Visits Tactical Training Range for Human-Machine Cooperation.” This may seem obvious, but the text inserted into the video is followed by a jumble of keywords, which is unusual for actual media coverage.
Robots join civil life
Even though these videos of shooting robots are generated by AI, China is well on its way to using humanoid robots in daily life, including in supporting security forces.
Less than a year ago, state-run English-Chinese broadcaster CGTN reported that humanoid robots were patrolling the city of Shenzhen alongside police officers. In some major Chinese cities, such as Wuhan and Shanghai, such robots are already controlling traffic or are being trained to do so.
This article was originally written in German.
Contributors: Daniel Ebertz, Juan Ju, Shitao Li
