AI error triggered US nuclear alert over Chinese ship

An artificial intelligence error triggered a US military alert after an intelligence report falsely claimed a Chinese ship in the Middle East was carrying nuclear weapon components, nearly prompting an American operation to intercept the vessel. The report emerged during US strikes against Iran this spring and led to plans to stop the ship, with armed soldiers preparing to board it and fighter jets launched, according to four sources cited by CNN. Officials discovered the report was AI-generated, as a chatbot had incorrectly identified the cargo, with one source calling it "completely wrong" and saying it "almost started a war." The analyst had combined open-source data with classified signal intelligence, then used AI again to format the findings into a standard report. The incident highlights risks of AI in military targeting, as the Pentagon and intelligence agencies actively integrate such tools across operations.