A US military analyst reportedly used an AI chatbot to assess a Chinese ship’s manifest, leading to the false conclusion that it carried nuclear-weapons components. The assessment was circulated as intelligence, prompting military planners to prepare an operation to intercept and board the vessel, potentially triggering a conflict between the United States and China.

The ship was travelling through the Middle East, and aircraft were reportedly preparing for the mission before officials reviewed the analysis and discovered the AI-generated error. The incident highlights the dangers of rapidly expanding military AI use, particularly in intelligence and targeting, amid limited guidance on preventing civilian casualties or friendly-fire incidents; it is also politically sensitive because it emerged shortly before a planned meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.