US intelligence elevates AI as a top global threat in new report

Photo: CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard meet in the Situation Room of the White House, Saturday, June 21, 2025. Photo credit: Official White House photo by Daniel Torok via Flickr. US government work. Article by Patrick Tucker. Defense One – March 19, 2026. Report: 2026 Worldwide Threat Assessment.

Artificial intelligence is a major subtheme of the U.S. intelligence community’s annual report on threats—one increasingly described in strategic, not just technical, terms. In its 2026 Worldwide Threat Assessment, released on Wednesday, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence calls AI a “defining technology for the 21st century,” notes that it is being used in combat, and identifies China as “the most capable competitor” to the United States. The assessment, released on Wednesday as intelligence leaders testified to lawmakers, offers a rare window into how they interpret the global threat landscape. […] 

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