The Pentagon has entered into classified agreements with major artificial intelligence companies, including OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Nvidia, Elon Musk's xAI, and the startup Reflection. These deals enable the Department of Defense to utilize their AI tools in secure, classified settings, as announced on Friday.
Exclusion of Anthropic
Notably absent from the list is Anthropic, which had previously been contracted to handle classified information for the military. The Pentagon declared Anthropic a supply-chain risk, effectively banning its products from federal government use. This decision stems from a dispute over Anthropic's refusal to relax its "red lines" regarding mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons. In response, Anthropic sued the federal government and secured a temporary injunction.
Existing and New Partnerships
Prior to this announcement, OpenAI and xAI had already established agreements with the Pentagon for the lawful use of their AI systems. According to The Information, Google has also reached a similar accord. The Wall Street Journal reported that Microsoft and Amazon maintain deep relationships with the Pentagon, while Nvidia and Reflection are new additions to the defense contractor roster.
Pentagon's Stance on Anthropic
Emil Michael, the Defense Department's chief technology officer, stated to CNBC that Anthropic remains a supply chain risk. However, he acknowledged the company's powerful security model, Mythos, as a "separate national security moment," emphasizing the need to harden networks against its capabilities in finding and patching cyber vulnerabilities.
Strategic Goal
In its announcement, the Pentagon emphasized that these agreements facilitate the "lawful operational use" of AI systems, aiming to establish the United States military as an "AI-first fighting force."
