AI almost led the US military to start a war with China

CNN’s sources claim the US nearly attacked a Chinese ship it believed was carrying nuclear weapon components. AI almost led the US military to start a war with China, report says. News AI AI almost led the US military to start a war with China, report says CNN’s sources claim the US nearly attacked a Chinese ship it believed was carrying nuclear weapon components.

David Ake/Getty Images Add on Google: Preferred Source Google Discover A false, partially AI-generated intelligence report nearly prompted the US military to attack a Chinese ship in the Middle East, CNN reports. The incident "almost started a war," according to a source cited in the report, and highlights the risks of incorporating AI into the sensitive work of the US Department of Defense. Has asked the Department of Defense to comment on CNN ‘s reporting.

The assessment was put together by a special operations command analyst who asked an AI chatbot about the Chinese ship’s manifest. According to CNN, the chatbot combined "open-source intelligence with secret signals intelligence" to conclude that the ship contained the "components of a nuclear weapons program" — a claim that nearly led the military to apprehend the ship until officials found out it was AI-generated. CNN wasn’t able to find out what the ship was actually carrying or what AI tool, whether commercial or designed for the US government, the analyst used.

Given the Department of Defense’s push to adopt AI overall, there are potentially several options.