AI chatbot's false report nearly sparked war with China, sources say
According to two of the sources, armed members of the US military were preparing to board the ship. CNN was not able to learn what the misidentified cargo was.The report, according to one of the sources, was "entirely false". But it also "almost started a war", the source said.
- ▪According to two of the sources, armed members of the US military were preparing to board the ship.
- ▪CNN was not able to learn what the misidentified cargo was.The report, according to one of the sources, was "entirely false".
- ▪But it also "almost started a war", the source said.
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| Original publisher | RNZ |
| Canonical URL | https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/1465265/ai-chatbot-s-false-report-nearly-sparked-war-with-china-sources-say |
| Publication time | Fri, 18 Sep 2026 19:59:56 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-09-18T20:28:45.511Z |
| Last seen | 2026-09-18T20:28:45.511Z |
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NewsWorld19 September 2026, 7:43amAI chatbot's false report nearly sparked war with China, sources sayKatie Bo Lillis and Zachary Cohen forCaption:Chinese soldiers take part in a rehearsal hours before a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on 3 September, 2025.Photo credit:AFP/GREG BAKERThe intelligence report, circulated across the US military this spring in the midst of the war with Iran, immediately set off alarm bells: a Chinese ship in the Middle East was transporting components of a nuclear weapons programme.The US military swung into action with plans to intercept the vessel, according to four sources familiar with the episode.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at RNZ.