A faulty intelligence report generated by an AI chatbot almost caused US forces to board a Chinese vessel in the Middle East that was allegedly carrying components of a nuclear weapons programme, CNN has reported, citing four anonymous sources. By the time military personnel had already begun preparing to storm the ship, it was discovered that the AI-produced document was entirely incorrect. The incident, which occurred against the backdrop of broader US-Iran tensions, has intensified calls for urgent regulation of artificial intelligence in sensitive national security contexts, where errors can carry catastrophic geopolitical consequences.