INTERNACIONAL
Beyond killer robots: China’s real AI threat to America is already here, experts warn
While Americans brace for a futuristic AI war of killer robots and bioweapons, experts warn ahead of President Xi Jinping’s U.S. visit this week that Beijing is already actively undermining America’s global supremacy through AI without ever firing a shot.
Experts who spoke with Digital outlined a stealthy, three-part playbook, which includes extracting the logic of American models, undercutting U.S. developers with free open-source software, and ultimately weaponizing those systems for things like cognitive warfare. They laid out how China bypasses billions of dollars in U.S. research through labs that interrogate cutting-edge American AI and copy its capabilities, while simultaneously flooding the global market with free alternatives.
«I think a ‘race’ is the wrong metaphor for this,» Leah Siskind, an AI research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Digital. «I think it’s kind of like a multi-front war. And in some places, we’re winning and some places we’re losing.»
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While top American tech firms have poured billions into building ultra-expensive, proprietary systems, China has focused heavily on distributing free, open-source models across the globe. Siskind warned that because American tech is costly and the U.S. sector has largely neglected open-source investment, many Fortune 500 companies are making the financial choice to run their operations on Chinese models—unwittingly opening the door to potential CCP censorship, hidden backdoors and, ultimately, global dominance.
«How can you compete with something that’s free when American tech is very, very expensive?» Siskind said. «How can we ensure that a Chinese open-source model would be truly clean, that it’d be truly free of CCP censorship? We can’t be—we just wouldn’t know. And that’s by design. We wouldn’t know what sort of trick backdoors might be implanted and how that could rear its head later on.»
Meanwhile, China expert Gordon Chang warned that Beijing is intentionally using these free models to repeat an economic tactic it previously deployed to corner a different industry.
«This is a tactic that China used with solar panels,» Chang told Digital. «Beijing sees that one day it will drive out the American models on cost and availability, and they will then dominate global AI.»
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But to flood the market with free software, Beijing first needs the underlying technology—and a way to bypass America’s massive lead in computing power.
Chang noted that the U.S. possesses a commanding lead in physical infrastructure, boasting over 5,400 data centers compared to China’s roughly 450, along with far superior microchips. To work around the staggering hardware and energy costs required to train artificial intelligence from scratch, Siskind warned that Chinese labs are closing the gap through a process known as «knowledge distillation»—a method where a smaller model essentially interrogates a larger, smarter American model to copy its logic.
«They are able to leapfrog the process by kind of stealing this information,» Siskind said, pointing to the Chinese model DeepSeek as a prime example. «This is how they were able to release models like DeepSeek in 2025, which was seismic news because they were able to show that they were really competing with cutting-edge American models and had invested a fraction of the resources.»
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The threat is not theoretical. Just last week, the Department of Homeland Security issued a joint cybersecurity advisory warning that Chinese companies are conducting «industrial-scale knowledge distillation campaigns» to extract proprietary capabilities from U.S. frontier models.
Beyond economic undercutting and software theft, the experts also warned Beijing is simultaneously deploying artificial intelligence into physical supply chains and public influence campaigns.
Rather than sci-fi «killer robots,» Siskind emphasized that China’s immediate physical priority is «embodied AI»—embedding artificial intelligence into real-world infrastructure like factory automation, commercial drones, and autonomous supply chains. Meanwhile, Chang warned that AI-enhanced propaganda poses a direct threat to American decision-making and democratic sovereignty.
«They’re very good at cognitive warfare, and they can enhance their capabilities with artificial intelligence,» Chang said. «We do not want our elections determined in China. We do not want our critical national security decisions being made in Beijing. And that’s not impossible.»
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As President Xi Jinping arrives in the U.S. this week, the experts who spoke to Digital said the White House must treat these non-cinematic threats with the same urgency as traditional military posturing.
To protect America’s remaining edge, Siskind said Washington must tighten chip export loopholes, blacklist foreign labs engaging in deceptive distillation, and incentivize U.S. open-source development—emphasizing that «it is very important that the most advanced systems are developed under democracy and represent democratic values, as opposed to authoritarian values.»
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For Chang, the stakes of that technological defense extend far beyond standard economic competition.
«Xi Jinping throughout this century has been pushing the Chinese imperial-era notion of Tianxia, or ‘all under heaven’—that China’s rulers have a right to rule the world,» Chang warned. «That sounds ludicrous to us, but a Chinese regime powered by AI might actually be able to accomplish that. We certainly do not want our decisions being made in the Chinese capital.»
Addressing the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, President Donald Trump reiterated Washington’s goal of outpacing China, declaring that U.S. government documents will now refer to AI as «superintelligence.»
«The United States totally rejects any attempt to construct a globalist scheme to control the artificial intelligence being spoken of,» Trump told world leaders. «Whoever wins superintelligence wins. And we’re leading now over China by a lot and everyone else. And we’re going to keep it that way.»
artificial intelligence, national security, xi jinping, technology, china, tech, companies
INTERNACIONAL
Se quedó a cuidar a los gemelos de su mejor amiga, mató a golpes a uno de los bebés y finalmente confesó: “No pude controlarme”
En la noche del 15 de junio de 2024, una llamada al 911 alertó a la Policía de Pittsburgh, en Estados Unidos, sobre una emergencia en un departamento de la calle Walnut: un bebé de apenas seis semanas estaba gravemente herido y su cuidadora aseguraba que se había caído de una silla mecedora.
Cuando los médicos lo examinaron, descubrieron que tenía una fractura de cráneo y varias hemorragias cerebrales. Leon Katz murió horas después.
Poco después, los investigadores descubrieron que el hermano gemelo del bebé fallecido, Ari, también había sufrido lesiones mientras estaba bajo el cuidado de Nicole Virzi, la mejor amiga de su mamá.
La mujer, que había viajado desde California para visitar a la familia, finalmente admitió que había agredido intencionalmente a los dos chicos.
Un crimen perturbador
Nicole Virzi tenía 29 años cuando ocurrió el crimen. En ese momento, vivía en la ciudad de San Diego, California, y estudiaba un doctorado en Psicología Clínica en la Universidad de California en San Diego (UCSD).
Era muy cercana a Savannah Roberts, la mamá de los gemelos, y había viajado a Pittsburgh en junio de 2024 para conocer a los recién nacidos y acompañar a su amiga durante las primeras semanas de maternidad.
Los bebés, Leon y Ari, tenían apenas seis semanas. Según reconstruyeron los investigadores, durante la visita, Virzi comenzó a señalar algunas lesiones extrañas en el cuerpo de uno de los chicos. En particular, advirtió a sus padres sobre marcas y heridas en la zona genital de Ari.
Ante esa situación, Savannah Roberts y su pareja, Ethan Katz, decidieron llevar al bebé a un hospital para que lo revisaran. Virzi se ofreció a quedarse con Leon mientras ellos salían.
Si bien en un principio no tenían previsto dejar a los chicos solos con ella, terminaron aceptando su propuesta. Fue entonces cuando ocurrió el ataque.
De acuerdo con la denuncia policial, Virzi llamó al servicio de emergencias poco después de las 23:00; dijo que había ido a buscar una mamadera y que, al volver, encontró a Leon en el piso, fuera de su silla mecedora. También aseguró que el bebé se había golpeado la cabeza y que comenzaba a perder la conciencia.
El chico fue trasladado de urgencia al hospital infantil de Pittsburgh, donde murió durante la madrugada del 16 de junio.
Los estudios médicos revelaron que tenía una fractura grave en el lado izquierdo del cráneo y múltiples hemorragias cerebrales. La autopsia determinó que había muerto por un traumatismo contundente en la cabeza y calificó el caso como homicidio.
La situación de Ari también encendió las alarmas, ya que los médicos detectaron rasguños, hematomas e inflamación en distintas partes de su cuerpo. Según los documentos judiciales, un especialista en protección infantil determinó que las lesiones de ambos hermanos eran compatibles con situaciones de maltrato y no con accidentes.
La confesión
Al principio, Virzi sostuvo que Leon se había caído de la silla mecedora. Sin embargo, los investigadores no encontraron una explicación que justificara la gravedad de las lesiones que sufrió el bebé.
Durante un interrogatorio policial que se extendió durante aproximadamente 13 horas, la mujer reconoció que había lastimado intencionalmente a los dos hermanos.
Según las transcripciones incorporadas al expediente, les dijo a los investigadores que desde muy chica sentía un impulso que no podía controlar de hacerles daño a nenes. “Desde una edad muy, muy temprana, siempre tuve un impulso, casi como una compulsión que no puedo controlar, de lastimar a los chicos”, declaró.
También describió lo que había hecho mientras estaba sola con Leon. “Lo sacudí un par de veces, con fuerza. Y lo dejé caer un par de veces, también con fuerza”, reconoció. En otro momento del interrogatorio, contó que había dado vuelta al bebé y lo había tirado contra el piso de cerámica del baño.
“Algo se apoderó de mí. No pude controlarlo. Les estoy contando esto porque no puedo seguir mintiendo”, agregó.
Virzi también admitió haber lastimado a Ari. Las heridas del hermano gemelo habían sido, precisamente, el motivo por el que sus padres se habían retirado aquella noche para llevarlo al hospital.
El juicio y la condena
La investigación derivó en una serie de imputaciones contra Virzi por la muerte de Leon y las lesiones que sufrió su hermano. La fiscalía consideró que se había aprovechado de la confianza que la familia tenía en ella para quedarse sola con los bebés y agredirlos.
En agosto de 2024, los fiscales anunciaron que buscarían la pena de muerte si era declarada culpable de homicidio en primer grado. La acusación sostenía que había actuado de manera intencional.
El proceso judicial se extendió durante más de dos años. Durante ese tiempo, la familia de los bebés debió atravesar las audiencias y reconstruir lo que había sucedido aquella noche.
Savannah Roberts, la mamá de las víctimas, presentó un testimonio en el que cuestionó la explicación de Virzi sobre sus supuestas compulsiones. También describió cómo el crimen había cambiado su vida y su manera de relacionarse con los demás.
La mujer contó que durante casi un año no pudo llevar a cabo actividades cotidianas, como ducharse o ir al baño, sin que su pareja estuviera cerca. Necesitaba tener a Ari a la vista para asegurarse de que estuviera bien.
El 28 de octubre de este año, Nicole Virzi se declaró culpable de homicidio en tercer grado, agresión agravada y cargos por poner en peligro el bienestar de menores. De esa manera, evitó un juicio en el que podía enfrentar la pena de muerte.
La jueza Jill E. Rangos la condenó a entre 35 y 80 años de prisión. La fiscalía explicó que el acuerdo se alcanzó después de consultar a los padres de Leon y Ari, que no querían atravesar el impacto emocional de un nuevo proceso judicial.
Virzi no habló durante la audiencia y su abogada, Tina Miller, se limitó a señalar que ninguna disculpa sería suficiente para reparar el daño causado.
gemelos
A longtime Democratic House member representing a southern border district said Immigration and Customs Enforcement is not going anywhere as «Abolish ICE» became a rallying cry for more than a dozen progressive Democrats elected or reelected in the midterms.
While the elections brought a new class of Democratic Socialists of America members to Congress, Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, told Digital that they make up just «one part of the spectrum» and that there are many «blue dogs» like himself who value strong border and immigration policies.
«I don’t believe in defunding ICE and I think the majority of the Democrats do not believe defunding ICE, but there are serious rail guards we need put on ICE,» Cuellar said.
Cuellar also warned Democrats against returning to the Biden administration’s border policies.
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«We just can’t open up the border and just say anybody that wants to claim asylum can come to the borders. That policy under Biden administration — I hope that every Democrat running for national office doesn’t do that anymore,» Cuellar said.
Cuellar, who is currently the ranking member of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, is poised to become chairman, giving him significant influence over how funding for ICE is allocated.
The congressman’s district includes Laredo, where Border Patrol has a major presence. Cuellar has repeatedly broken with his party on immigration enforcement, including voting with Republicans in January to approve a DHS funding bill that included billions for ICE, though he later opposed a $70 billion Republican-backed enforcement package over concerns about oversight.
Cuellar has criticized ICE for pursuing immigrants without criminal records, even though federal law allows the agency to arrest people for civil immigration violations. He has also called for greater oversight of the agency.
«Anybody that thinks that what ICE is doing, going after nuns, going after pastors, going after dreamers, they think that’s normal? I don’t think Cuellar said, attributing the blue wave in Texas to Trump’s immigration enforcement tactics.
The Abolish ICE movement became a flashpoint for the Trump administration amid sweeping immigration enforcement operations in major cities including Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Chicago and New Orleans. The operations have resulted in more than 1.3 million arrests and 1.2 million illegal immigrants being deported or leaving the country, according to the White House.
Democrats and immigrant rights activists have criticized ICE’s tactics, which include targeting courthouses, churches and job sites, as well as conditions in detention centers. The agency has also faced fierce backlash over the fatal shootings of two American citizens by ICE agents in Minnesota just weeks apart in January 2026.
In the months that followed, Democratic governors in New York, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland and Minnesota signed laws restricting local and state cooperation with federal immigration officials.
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Meanwhile, ICE’s partnerships with Texas authorities have expanded through 287(g) agreements that allow local officers to assist with immigration enforcement, jail screening and administrative warrants. Texas law now requires most county sheriffs to seek these agreements.
Cuellar said local law enforcement should have a limited role:
«I think the local sheriff should report somebody that’s there illegally. I think that’s it. But anything beyond that, I think we need to have a discussion,» Cuellar told Digital.
Like Cuellar, Texas Democratic Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa has been highly critical of ICE’s tactics. At a rally in January, she criticized Gov. Greg Abbott for directing state agencies to make Texas land and facilities available for federal immigration detention.
During her time in the state House, Hinojosa voted against a 2017 bill requiring local law enforcement to cooperate with federal agencies.
But Hinojosa has never called for Texas to follow New York and other blue states’ lead in ending all cooperation with ICE.
«She is from the border from Brownsville,» Cuellar said. «I haven’t heard her say that she supports the defunding ICE. I don’t think she has said that. Does she probably believe in transparency and rail guards for ICE? Again, I don’t want to speak for her, but I think she does.»
Hinojosa has also sharply criticized Abbott’s Operation Lone Star, calling the operation a political «grandstand.»
Operation Lone Star launched in March 2021 amid a sharp rise in border encounters that began in 2020 and accelerated after President Joe Biden took office. The operation deployed Texas DPS officers, National Guard troops and local law enforcement to combat illegal crossings, human smuggling and drug trafficking before expanding to include state arrests and prosecutions for illegal entry, construction of border barriers and migrant transportation.
In a recent CBS interview, former Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz said the Biden administration sent mixed messages to migrants and accused some officials of «embracing the chaos and crisis» at the southern border.
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Cuellar agreed with Ortiz’s assessment that the Biden administration didn’t do its job securing the border.
«The Biden Administration had it wrong,» Cuellar said.
Cuellar also criticized Abbott’s deployment of Operation Lone Star, pointing to a January 2024 standoff in Eagle Pass, where Texas authorities seized control of Shelby Park and restricted Border Patrol’s access.
«You still got to work with border patrol, regardless if it’s a Democrat or Republican at the White House itself,» Cuellar said. «So I can understand why there was that criticism, but still the Governor should have done a better job working with us at the federal level. And I hope that this new governor — and I think she will — work with us.»
Cuellar said there needs to be balance and nuance in how immigration policy is carried out and that he wants to work with Trump and Republicans over the next two years.
«There are Democrats who are willing to work with the administration, with President Trump, but it takes two to have a deal,» Cuellar said.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a statement to Digital that deportations will continue.
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«Our mission is simple and non-negotiable: secure the border, protect American lives, and control everything and everyone coming into this country. We are focused on getting the job done and enthusiastically partner with any official dedicated to achieving that goal,» CBP Assistant Commissioner Hilton Beckham said in a statement to Digital.
Digital reached out to Hinojosa for comment.
immigration, border security, homeland security, democrats, democratic party, illegal immigrants, congress, politics
Polish PM: 3 people found dead in shooter’s home
The death toll rises following the mass shooting in Krakow’s Main Market Square after three people were found dead inside the gunman’s home. Polish authorities also say two police officers were injured during the shooting.
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The gunman who killed six people and wounded 15 others in a shooting at a crowded square in Poland died Monday after being shot by police during the attack, authorities said.
The 24-year-old suspect had been hospitalized in critical condition since Saturday’s shooting in Krakow and underwent several operations before his death.
Polish prosecutors have opened an investigation into the killings and attempted killings, including attacks on police officers, as a possible terrorist offense.
Emergency responders gather after a deadly shooting on November 7, 2026 in the Main Market Square of Krakow, Poland. At least five were killed and more were injured in the incident. (Omar Marques/Getty Images)
Authorities said the gunman held far-right views, though investigators have not publicly established a motive for the attack.
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Police also discovered the bodies of the suspect’s mother, father and sister at the family’s home in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, roughly 93 miles northeast of Krakow, per reporting from The Associated Press. The three are believed to have died from gunshot wounds, though authorities have not confirmed the circumstances of their deaths.
Emergency responders gather after a deadly shooting on November 7, 2026, in the Main Market Square of Krakow, Poland. At least five were killed and more were injured in the incident. (Omar Marques/Getty Images)
The suspect, who was wearing military-style clothing and a bulletproof vest, drove into Krakow’s historic Main Square on Saturday before opening fire, according to authorities.
A woman reacts at the site of a shooting near the main market square of Krakow, Poland, November 7, 2026. (REUTERS/Jakub Porzycki TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)
Four women and two men were killed, including a British man and an Austrian woman. Five foreign nationals were among the wounded.
Two police officers injured while stopping the gunman remained hospitalized as of Sunday, though both were reportedly conscious.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
world, crime world, mass murder, terrorism, europe, foreign
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