This marks the latest instance of AI confabulations (also called "hallucinations") causing potential business damage. Confabulations are a type of "creative gap-filling" response where AI models invent plausible-sounding but false information. Instead of admitting uncertainty, AI models often prioritize creating plausible, confident responses, even when that means manufacturing information from scratch.
It amazes me how many different terms we've assigned to "an LLM we call artificial 'intelligence' just made some shit up because it sounded like the most logical thing to say based on probability."
I've started to understand that if China is doing something that makes me go, "why aren't they doing the most obvious thing I can think of" then it's probably answered with any one or more of the following: de-escalation to build up more alliances via mutually beneficial trade (see BRICS), long term self reliance strategies (with the end goal of making western offerings uncompetetive long term), or just not wanting to kick off a global nuclear war via antagonism of the USA