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The artificial intelligence race has entered a new and more dangerous phase. This week, China’s leading cybersecurity company unveiled a pair of AI powered security tools it claims can match the capabilities of Anthropic’s Mythos, a system so powerful that the United States government has already moved to restrict its export on national security grounds.

The announcement marks a significant escalation in the global AI arms race, one that blurs the boundaries between cyber defence and cyber warfare.

At the ISC.AI 2026 cybersecurity conference in Beijing, 360 Security Technology introduced a platform called Yitian Tulong, comprising two AI models: Tulongfeng, designed for automated vulnerability discovery, and Yitianzhen, built for automated cyber defence and incident response.

The name Yitian Tulong is drawn from a classic Chinese martial arts novel. Translated, it means “Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber,” legendary weapons that, in the story, determine the fate of an entire world.

The choice of name was not accidental. It evokes themes of unmatched power and national defence, underscoring the degree to which Beijing views AI cybersecurity tools as strategic necessities rather than optional luxuries.

The first of the two tools, Tulongfeng, focuses on automated vulnerability discovery. The second, Yitianzhen, handles cyber defence and incident response. Together, the company is positioning them as both shield and sword in an intensifying AI driven security contest between the world’s two dominant technology powers.

Why Mythos triggered this response

To understand what drove China’s announcement, it helps to understand what Mythos is and why it alarmed governments on both sides of the Pacific.

In April, Anthropic introduced Mythos as a system capable of autonomously finding flaws in widely used software, reporting that an early version had uncovered........

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