The post OpenAI, Google and Anthropic AI Models Deployed Nuclear Weapons in 95% of War Simulations appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.

In brief The leading AI models deployed nuclear weapons in 95% of war-game scenarios. None chose full surrender, even when losing. Researchers warn AI use may escalate conflicts under pressure. Like a scene out of the 1980s sci-fi classic films “The Terminator” and “WarGames,” modern artificial intelligence models used in simulated war games escalated to nuclear weapons in nearly every scenario tested, according to new research from King’s College London. In the report published last week, researchers said that during simulated geopolitical crises, three leading large language models—OpenAI’s GPT-5.2, Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 4, and Google’s Gemini 3 Flash—chose to deploy nuclear weapons in 95% of cases. “Each model played six wargames against each rival across different crisis scenarios, with a seventh match against a copy of itself, yielding 21 games in total and over 300 turns,” the report said. “Models assumed the roles of national leaders commanding rival nuclear-armed superpowers, with state profiles loosely inspired by Cold War dynamics.”  In the study, AI models were placed in high-stakes scenarios involving border disputes, competition for scarce resources, and threats to regime survival. Each system operated along an escalation ladder that ranged from diplomatic protests and surrender to full-scale strategic nuclear war. According to the report, the models generated roughly 780,000 words explaining their decisions, and at least one tactical nuclear weapon was used in nearly every simulated conflict. “To put this in perspective: The tournament generated more words of strategic reasoning than War and Peace and The Iliad combined (730,000 words), and roughly three times the total recorded deliberations of Kennedy’s Executive Committee during the Cuban Missile Crisis (260,000 words across 43 hours of meetings),” researchers wrote. During the war games, none of the AI models chose to surrender outright, regardless of battlefield position. While the models would temporarily attempt…

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Filed under: News - @ February 25, 2026 9:20 pm