The United States Department of Defense (Pentagon) announced on Friday a new agreement with seven artificial intelligence companies to deploy their advanced technologies on its classified networks. The move marks the latest step in the Pentagon's decade-long push to integrate AI into military operations.
The companies involved are SpaceX, OpenAI, Google, NVIDIA, Reflection, Microsoft, and Amazon Web Services. In a statement, the Pentagon said the agreements “accelerate the transformation towards establishing the United States military as an AI-first fighting force and will strengthen our warfighters’ ability to maintain decision superiority across all domains of warfare.”
The capabilities will be used in the Pentagon’s most secure information systems to “streamline data synthesis, elevate situational understanding and augment warfighter decision-making in complex operational environments,” according to the statement.
Notably absent from the list is Anthropic, which has been embroiled in a dispute with the Pentagon after refusing to grant unrestricted access to its Claude AI program for “all lawful use.” Anthropic raised concerns about potential use in mass surveillance and autonomous weapons. The Pentagon subsequently labeled the company a “supply chain risk.”
The two sides are locked in a protracted legal battle, though signs of detente have emerged. The administration is reportedly eager to access Anthropic’s new Mythos AI model, seen as a potentially transformative tool for both cyber offense and defense.
Earlier deals with OpenAI, Google, and Elon Musk’s xAI were already confirmed, with those companies accepting the “all lawful use” clause.
The Pentagon stated that over 1.3 million personnel now use its official AI platform, GenAI.mil. “Warfighters, civilians and contractors are putting these capabilities to practical use right now, cutting many tasks from months to days,” it said.
The US government’s use of AI has drawn increased scrutiny amid its mass deportation campaign. Rights groups allege that technology from Palantir is being used to collect real-time data on potential Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) targets, including pro-Palestine advocates.
Questions have also been raised about AI targeting systems in the US-Israeli war with Iran. The Pentagon claims to have struck 13,000 targets since February 28. At least 3,375 people have been killed in Iran, including at least 170 people, mostly children, in an alleged US Tomahawk strike on a girls’ school in Minab. The Pentagon said it is still investigating.
During a Senate committee hearing on Thursday, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand questioned Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth about civilian harm oversight and AI use. Hegseth responded that “no military, no country works harder at every echelon to ensure they protect civilian lives than the United States military, and that is an ironclad commitment that we make, no matter what system we use.”
Source: www.aljazeera.com