# AI didn’t almost trigger a war with China. The Pentagon’s blind faith in it did

> Source: <https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4735008/pentagon-ai-intelligence-verification-risk/>
> Published: 2026-09-20 14:00:19+00:00

American [military](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/military) planes were already in the air. Armed personnel were preparing for a possible boarding of a [Chinese](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/china) vessel. Then, according to CNN [reporting](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/journalism) published Friday, more experienced analysts reopened the intelligence behind the operation and found that its central claim was false.

CNN reported that an analyst with a military special operations command used an AI chatbot to interpret classified and open-source information about a Chinese ship in the Middle East. The chatbot identified the cargo as a component of a nuclear weapons program. The assessment circulated, and U.S. forces began preparing to intercept the vessel before subject-matter experts reviewed the underlying information and determined that the identification was wrong.

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