Washington: An incorrect intelligence report prepared by Artificial Intelligence (AI) had created a situation of serious military confrontation between America and China. According to a CNN report, such intelligence information was circulated among US military officials about a Chinese ship present in West Asia during the war with Iran, which claimed that the ship was carrying equipment related to the nuclear weapons program.
After the report came to light, the US Army started preparing for action to stop the ship and investigate it. US military personnel were preparing to board the Chinese ship, while military aircraft were also in the air, CNN reported, citing four sources familiar with the matter.
AI chatbot misidentified
According to CNN, officials re-examined the intelligence report shortly before the operation began. During this time it was revealed that the help of AI system was taken in preparing the report.
According to the report, an analyst with the US Special Operations Command had questioned a chatbot about intelligence information related to the ship's manifest. The chatbot misidentified the material on board the ship and declared it to be material related to the nuclear weapons program.
A source described this intelligence report as completely false. According to CNN, it is not yet clear what exactly the Chinese ship was carrying.
Report prepared again using AI
According to CNN, analysts used AI not only to analyze the information, but also to later prepare it in the form of standard intelligence reports.
According to the report, the chatbot combined open-source intelligence with secret signals intelligence present in government records to draw wrong conclusions. The same information was then prepared as a formal intelligence report and disseminated through military channels.
'A situation of war had almost arisen'
Speaking to CNN, a source close to the matter said that the incident had almost reached the point of starting a war. According to the source, US military action against the Chinese ship could have escalated into armed conflict by increasing tensions between the US and China.
However, the proposed action was put on hold after officials re-examined the intelligence in time.
Use of AI is increasing rapidly in US Army
This incident has come to light at a time when the US military and intelligence community are rapidly increasing the use of AI in many areas. These include tasks such as analyzing large amounts of intelligence, selecting military targets, deploying military resources, budgeting, logistics and supply chain.
In January 2026, the US Defense Department “Artificial Intelligence Strategy” was released, which focused on rapidly expanding the use of AI in various parts of the military and incorporating AI more widely into combat capabilities.
Questions raised regarding the use of AI
According to CNN's report, there is also growing concern among US officials that different military units are using different AI systems, processes and security standards.
The report also pointed out that there is no uniform standard across the military to verify AI-generated information. In such a situation, there is a risk of inaccurate or misleading AI output being included in formal intelligence reports and then military decisions being taken based on it.
One official told CNN that the use of AI-based targeting is increasing, but there are no clear guidelines on how “human oversight” would prevent civilian deaths or accidental attacks on one's own troops.
AI's 'hallucinations' raise concerns
This incident also brought to the fore the problem of AI which is generally AI hallucination It is said. In this, AI system can present wrong information as true fact with confidence.
Some senior intelligence officials are concerned that AI could increase the pressure on analysts to quickly produce and distribute information, CNN reports. This may increase the possibility of mistakes.
This entire issue has raised an important question about the use of AI in the military and intelligence sector—is there adequate and independent human verification of AI-generated information before acting in sensitive situations like war?