CSET’s Helen Toner was featured on CNN News Central, where she discussed the accelerating global AI race and the challenges it poses. She explored China’s rapid advancement in AI, the shift from chatbots to autonomous AI agents capable of performing complex tasks, and the growing use of AI to develop AI itself.

This report examines thousands of Chinese-language open-source requests for proposal (RFPs) published by the People’s Liberation Army between January 1, 2023, and December 31, 2024. The RFPs the authors reviewed offer insights into the PLA’s priorities and ambitions for AI-enabled military technologies associated with C5ISRT: command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting.

CSET’s Sam Bresnick shared his expert perspective in an article published by The Wall Street Journal. The article examines China’s military use of AI to develop autonomous drone and robot swarms, drawing inspiration from animal behavior to improve offensive and defensive capabilities.

CSET submitted the following response to the White House Office of Science and Technology in support of its "Accelerating the American Scientific Enterprise initiative.

How far has Beijing advanced on the goals set in its 2021 Space Perspective? Drawing from open-source evidence, this analysis tracks progress across seven mission areas. The findings reveal steady, wide-ranging advances toward 2027 objectives, with one major shortfall: persistent challenges in debris mitigation.

CSET’s Kyle Miller shared his expert analysis in an article published by WIRED. The article discusses how OpenAI’s new open-weight models are drawing significant interest from the U.S. military and defense contractors, who see potential for secure, offline, and customizable AI systems capable of supporting sensitive defense operations.

This report assesses the types of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) platforms marketed in the United States and the finances of U.S.-headquartered UAV companies. It finds that most companies develop small UAVs, and only a handful develop more complex military systems. The report also finds that most drone manufacturers are privately held, venture-backed companies, many of which were founded after 2010, and investment activity is concentrated around firms that produce smaller UAVs.

Lauren A. Kahn co-authored an analysis published by the Council on Foreign Relations alongside Erin D. Dumbacher and Michael C. Horowitz. The piece examines proposed reforms to the Pentagon’s acquisition system, which aim to speed the delivery of military capabilities and strengthen the U.S. defense enterprise in the face of emerging global challenges.

CSET’s Helen Toner shared her expert analysis in an article published by The Wall Street Journal. The article discusses China’s accelerated push to compete with the U.S. in generative artificial intelligence.

Data Snapshots are informative descriptions and quick analyses that dig into CSET’s unique data resources. This data interactive maps each of the over 34,000 pieces of space debris the United States government has tracked since 1958, bringing Earth’s crowded orbits to life. It shows how seven decades of launches, collisions, and anti-satellite tests—and just a few catastrophic events by a handful of countries—have created most of today’s debris, potentially endangering the $1.8 trillion global space economy that depends on unfettered access to orbits.