Washington, April 5 : Chinese firms are using artificial intelligence and open-source data to track US military movements during the Iran war, raising fresh concerns in Washington about emerging battlefield surveillance risks, a media report said.

A growing number of Chinese private companies are marketing intelligence tools that claim to â??exposeâ?? the movements of US forces, even as Beijing publicly distances itself from the conflict, according to The Washington Post .

The firms are combining artificial intelligence with publicly available data â?? including satellite imagery, flight trackers and shipping information â?? to produce detailed analyses of US military deployments in the Middle East.

The trend has gained momentum since the start of the Iran war five weeks ago.

Online posts have circulated showing granular details of US carrier movements, aircraft positioning and base activity, reflecting what analysts describe as a rapidly expanding intelligence marketplace.

Some of the companies involved have links to Chinaâ??s military ecosystem.

They are part of Beijingâ??s broader push to integrate private-sector innovation into defence capabilities, backed by significant state investment under its civil-military integration strategy, The Washington Post reported.

US officials and analysts are divided on how serious the threat is, the daily said.

Some question whether these tools are being actively used by adversaries. Others warn that their increasing sophistication could make it harder for the US to conceal troop movements in future conflicts.

â??The proliferation of more and more capable private sector geospatial analysis companies in China will augment Chinaâ??s defence capabilities and ability to contest US forces in a crisis,â?? Ryan Fedasiuk, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, told The Washington Post.

One firm has claimed it can track US military activity in real time using a mix of Western and Chinese data sources filtered through AI, the report said.

Another company has said it can analyse aircraft communications and monitor large-scale military movements.

The rise of such firms reflects a broader shift in modern warfare.

Open-source intelligence, once limited to niche analysts, is increasingly being enhanced by AI, allowing private actors to generate insights previously available only to governments.

US lawmakers have begun raising alarms.

â??Companies tied to the CCP are turning AI into a battlefield surveillance tool against America,â?? the House Select Committee on China said in a statement cited by The Washington Post.

At the same time, Beijing has sought to maintain a careful distance from the conflict.

China has called for a ceasefire and peace talks, while avoiding direct involvement even as its private sector capitalises on the war.

Analysts say the dual-track approach allows China to benefit strategically without formally entering the conflict.

Private firms can provide intelligence capabilities while giving the Chinese government plausible deniability.

The development also highlights a broader challenge for the United States.

As commercial technologies become more powerful, the line between civilian and military intelligence is blurring, complicating efforts to maintain operational secrecy.

/IANS