A doctored video of a group of robots carrying ammunition and practising shooting under the supervision of military personnel is being shared with a false claim that it shows testing of robots by the Chinese company Unitree Robotics in preparation for war.
BOOM was able to verify that the video does not contain original scene. Multiple AI detection tools also confirmed that the visuals were created using artificial intelligence.
Greater Noida's Galgotias University found itself in an uncomfortable spotlight after one of its professors claimed that a robotic dog named Orion, displayed at their stall at the expo had been developed by the varsity's Centre of Excellence. Soon after, the internet 'fact checked' the claim and the situation escalated to the point where the institution was asked to vacate its pavilion. The university later released multiple clarifications, accepting that it was not behind the robot’s development.
In the 49 second viral video, a group of armed robots is seen conducting shooting drills in a hilly terrain.
The Claim
An X user shared the video with the caption, "ARMED ROBOTS TESTED — FUTURE OF WAR WITHOUT HUMANS? Footage of a Unitree Robotics robot during a shooting test is circulating. The idea of autonomous machines carrying weapons is unsettling. If this is the direction technology is heading, future wars may no longer require human soldiers."
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What We Found: Video Is AI-Generated
1. Video Created Using AI: We first extracted keyframes from the video and conducted a reverse image search using Google Lens. The results led us to the Chinese video-sharing platform Bilibili, where the same video had been uploaded by a user named “oukanghong” on February 17, 2026. The upload carried a disclaimer in red text stating that the shooting visuals are fictional and that the video was generated using AI.
While sharing the video, the user also mentioned Unitree G1, a robot developed and marketed by China-based civilian robotics company Unitree. We also observed visual similarities between the robots shown in the viral video and the Unitree G1 robot, which appears in the original footage uploaded by the company on its verified X handle.
In its official website, Unitree has issued a warning to customers regarding the G1 robot, stating, "This product is a civilian robot. We kindly request that all users refrain from making any dangerous modifications or using the robot in a hazardous manner."
2. Detection Tools Flag AI: BOOM shared the video with its partners at the Deepfakes Analysis Unit (DAU) which further observed that in scenes where the robots appear to be firing guns, no shell casings are seen being ejected. The team also noted that the Chinese flag on the robots’ shoulders is inaccurately depicted, with faint yellow markings on a red patch attempting to resemble the flag, highlighting visible discrepancies in the video.
The footage was further tested using tools such as WasItAI, Imagewishperer, and Hive AI. WasItAI and Imagewishperer marked multiple scenes as AI-generated, while Hive AI reported high confidence of AI usage and pointed to Seedance 2.0 as the probable video generation platform.
