Flawed AI-linked intel almost led U.S. to board China ship: report

The U.S. military came close to boarding a Chinese vessel in West Asia earlier this year based on a flawed intelligence report prepared with the help of artificial intelligence, CNN said Friday (September 19, 2026).

U.S. intelligence indicated the ship was carrying nuclear weapons-related components, leading American forces to prepare to intercept it, the broadcaster reported, citing four anonymous sources familiar with the incident.

But the operation was called off after officials determined that an AI chatbot used by an analyst had misidentified the material the ship was carrying.

CNN quoted one source as saying the intelligence report was “entirely false” but “almost started a war.” It did not specify what the vessel was actually carrying or where it was bound.

U.S. Central Command — which is responsible for American forces in West Asia — did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the reported incident.

The CNN report comes after a furore erupted earlier this month when a researcher publicly resigned from leading AI firm Anthropic over fears that the technology could escape human control.

Another Anthropic employee, who did not resign, said publicly that “we really do earnestly believe AI could kill all humans,” and that he thought the chances were greater than “10 percent within the next decade.”

Despite the warnings, U.S. President Donald Trump and some of his key allies have voiced opposition to drastically curbing the development of artificial intelligence.

In a separate incident involving the US military and China, Politico reported Friday that F-35 jet parts — including a sensitive stealth canopy for a cockpit — were diverted to Hong Kong and are now missing, raising fears that Beijing had obtained sensitive American military technology.

The parts were headed from Australia to the United States for repairs when the diversion occurred, the U.S. outlet reported, adding that it was unclear why the parts were rerouted or where they are now.

A spokesperson for Lockheed Martin, which manages the F-35 supply chain, said the company could not discuss specific shipments because of “security reasons.”

“Lockheed Martin follows all U.S. regulations established by the Department of War and regulated by the Defence 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.”