An artificially intelligent chatbot has warned that President Donald Trump’s tariffs could be a ‘potential spark’ for World War III.
The open source AI bot ChatGPT has offered its input into the likelihood of the US trade war turning into an actual global conflict.
Tensions between the US and China are continuing to grow as both countries have been placing increasing fees on each other’s import taxes.
When asked whether Trump’s import tariffs could trigger a third World War, the bot gave its insight.
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First off, that is a big and dramatic question but ChatGPT broke down in simple terms what the tariff announcements could mean for the world.
While tariffs themselves aren’t weapons, the bot did point out that they ‘are part of economic warfare’.
This means they do have the ability to disrupt supply chains, damage diplomatic relationships, trigger nationalist or protectionist responses, and weaken alliances - such as NATO or the EU-US relationship.
ChatGPT explained: “If multiple countries respond with escalating economic retaliation, and that’s paired with military buildup, cyber warfare, or aggressive moves in hotspots (like the South China Sea, Taiwan, or Eastern Europe), then yes, the environment becomes much more dangerous.
“That said, war usually involves multiple failures across diplomacy, economics, and military strategy, not just trade policy.”
Instead, it went on to say that tariffs are part of a broader geopolitical tension and could be a potential spark for conflict but not the sole reason.
Using an example, the chatbot said: “Want a historical parallel? The Smoot-Hawley Tariff in the 1930s worsened the Great Depression and helped destabilize international relations — but it didn’t cause WWII on its own. It just made the world more fragile.”
Analysts are concerned about the tariffs because they fear that Trump’s announcements could undermine global cooperation, accelerate a Cold War-style divide, or push countries into opposing economic blocs - for example, China-Russia-Iran vs US-allied democracies, according to ChatGPT.
The bot continued: “If those tensions spiral out of control, particularly if paired with territorial disputes or accidents between military forces, the risks get real.”
However, this doesn’t mean that the tariffs are a sign of growing tensions that are pointing towards a World War.
There are still a lot of agreements and checks in place to avoid a global conflict.
As ChatGPT pointed out: “We’re still a long way from a true global war—diplomatic, economic, and even military checks are in place to prevent it.”