Defense companies exploring artificial intelligence will help the U.S. military "keep up" with rivals like China, a former fighter pilot told Fox News. American defense startups developing artificial intelligence systems are crucial to helping the U.S. armed forces keep up with rivals like China, a military tech executive told Fox News "There [are] massive amounts of effort going into innovation in China, and we shouldn't be naive to that," said Red 6 CEO Dan Robinson. "Be under no illusion: the threat from China, specifically the [Chinese Communist Party], is real." Weapons equipped with artificial intelligence capabilities are a key focus for the U.S. and Chinese militaries. "What we're understanding as a nation is that a lot of innovation now is coming from nontraditional pathways," Robinson, who was previously an F-22 pilot for the Air Force, continued.