AI-generated intelligence nearly triggered US operation against Chinese ship, CNN reports

A false intelligence report created with the help of artificial intelligence nearly resulted in the US military intercepting and boarding a Chinese ship in the Middle East, according to a CNN report published Friday.

The report, circulated throughout the US military this spring during the war with Iran, said the vessel was carrying components for a nuclear weapons programme, CNN reported, citing four sources familiar with the episode. According to the sources, military aircraft were already in the air while Armed US personnel were getting ready to board the ship.

Shortly before the planned operation, officials found out that the intelligence was produced with help from an AI chatbot and that the system had misidentified the cargo of the ship.

CNN could not confirm what the cargo actually was.

One source called the intelligence “entirely false” and said it “almost started a war,” warning that an operation against a Chinese vessel could have escalated to an armed conflict between Washington and Beijing.

The episode points to fears about the US military’s rapid deployment of AI for intelligence analysis and targeting.

CNN reached out to US Special Operations Command Pacific and the Pentagon for comment, but they did not respond.