AI Error Nearly Triggered US Strike on Chinese Ship in Middle East

An AI-generated intelligence error nearly triggered a US military operation against a Chinese ship in the Middle East this spring, with armed personnel preparing to board the vessel before officials discovered the report was false. The report, produced by a US Special Operations Command analyst using a chatbot, incorrectly identified cargo on the ship's manifest as nuclear weapons components. The AI combined open-source data with classified intelligence, and the "entirely false" report was treated as credible through official channels before the operation was halted. The incident highlights growing risks of AI reliance in military decision-making, as the Pentagon rapidly expands AI use. Separately, Anthropic reported a Yemen-based group used its Claude model for weapons development, while OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is set to brief the UN Security Council on AI and international security.