Report: US Nearly Raided Chinese Ship After AI Falsely Flagged ‘Nuclear’ Cargo for Iran

A US intelligence report generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence nearly triggered a confrontation between Washington and Beijing after it incorrectly concluded that a Chinese vessel was transporting nuclear-related components to Iran during the Middle East war, CNN reported over the weekend, citing people familiar with the incident.

According to CNN, the US military prepared to intercept and seize the ship, with warplanes already airborne, before officials conducted a closer review of the intelligence. They discovered that the report had been produced with assistance from a chatbot that had incorrectly identified the vessel’s cargo. CNN said it could not determine what the ship was actually carrying.

One source cited by CNN described the intelligence report as “entirely false” but said it “almost started a war.”

The network reported that a US military analyst had asked a chatbot to analyze intelligence concerning the vessel from the Hawaii-based US Special Operations Command Pacific. The chatbot reportedly generated its inaccurate conclusion using a combination of publicly available information and classified signals intelligence.

CNN said it remained unclear whether the artificial intelligence system involved was a commercial product or a government-developed tool. The Pentagon and Special Operations Command Pacific did not respond to requests for comment, according to the network.

US Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Middle East, also had not immediately responded to a request for comment regarding the reported incident.

The CNN report follows renewed debate over the potential dangers of artificial intelligence. Earlier this month, a researcher publicly resigned from leading AI company Anthropic, citing concerns that the technology could eventually escape human control.

Another Anthropic employee who remained at the company publicly stated that “we really do earnestly believe AI could kill all humans,” while estimating that the possibility was greater than “10 percent within the next decade.”

Despite such warnings, US President Donald Trump and several of his allies have opposed proposals to significantly restrict the development of artificial intelligence.

In another recent episode involving the US military and China, Politico reported Friday that F-35 components including a sensitive stealth cockpit canopy were diverted to Hong Kong and subsequently went missing, prompting concerns that sensitive US military technology could have fallen into Beijing’s hands. The components were being transported from Australia to the United States for repairs when they were diverted, according to the report. Politico said it remained unclear why the shipment was rerouted or where the components are currently located.

A Lockheed Martin spokesperson, whose company oversees the F-35 supply chain, said the company could not provide details about individual shipments because of “security reasons.”

“Lockheed Martin follows all US regulations established by the Department of War and regulated by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) regarding the shipment of aircraft components,” the spokesperson said.

“Our teams handle every shipment with the utmost diligence and safeguards to ensure the integrity of the F-35 program and the security of our allied partners.”