A faulty intelligence report generated with the help of artificial intelligence nearly led the US military to intercept a Chinese vessel in the Middle East earlier this year, after the ship was wrongly believed to be carrying components linked to nuclear weapons.

According to a CNN report citing four people familiar with the incident, US intelligence indicated that the Chinese vessel was transporting nuclear weapons-related material. The assessment prompted American forces to prepare for an operation to intercept the ship.

The planned operation was abandoned after officials determined that the intelligence behind it was wrong. An AI chatbot used by an analyst had incorrectly identified the material being carried by the vessel.

One source described the intelligence report as “entirely false” while telling CNN that it had “almost started a war.”

The report did not establish what the vessel was actually carrying or reveal its destination.

The incident highlights the potential consequences of an AI-generated error being incorporated into intelligence used for military decision-making. In this case, information produced with the assistance of an AI chatbot was treated as intelligence indicating a possible connection between a Chinese vessel and nuclear weapons-related material, before the assessment was found to be inaccurate.

The episode comes at a time when the US military and intelligence community are facing growing questions over the use of artificial intelligence. AI systems are increasingly being used in different areas, while concerns remain over the possibility of inaccurate information being generated and subsequently relied upon.

US Central Command, which oversees American forces in the Middle East, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the reported incident.

The CNN report also comes amid a wider debate over the risks associated with increasingly powerful AI systems. Earlier this month, a researcher publicly resigned from AI company Anthropic, citing concerns that the technology could eventually escape human control.

Another Anthropic employee who remained with the company also publicly warned about the potential risks posed by AI, saying the company genuinely believed artificial intelligence could potentially kill all humans. He put the chances of such an outcome at more than 10% within the next decade.

Despite such warnings, US President Donald Trump and some of his key allies have opposed major restrictions on the development of artificial intelligence.

The reported Chinese vessel incident is also separate from another US-China issue involving sensitive American military technology. Politico reported on Friday that parts from F-35 fighter jets, including a sensitive stealth canopy used in a cockpit, were diverted to Hong Kong while being transported from Australia to the United States for repairs.

The parts have since gone missing, according to the report. It remains unclear why they were diverted or where they are currently located, raising concerns over whether sensitive US military technology could have reached China.

With AFP inputs