The Pentagon is urging leading AI firms, including OpenAI and Anthropic, to deploy their tools on classified networks with fewer of the usual user safeguards and restrictions.
During a White House event on Tuesday, Pentagon Chief Technology Officer Emil Michael told tech executives that the military is aiming to make the AI models available on both unclassified and classified domains, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The Pentagon is “moving to deploy frontier AI capabilities across all classification levels,” an official who requested anonymity told Reuters.
It is the latest development in ongoing negotiations between the Pentagon and the top generative AI companies over how the U.S. will use AI on a future battlefield that is already dominated by autonomous drone swarms, robots and cyber attacks.
AI for Military
Many AI companies are building custom tools for the U.S. military, most of which are available only on unclassified networks typically used for military administration. Only one AI company – Anthropic – is available in classified settings through third parties but the government is still bound by the company’s usage policies.
Classified networks are used to handle a wide range of more sensitive work that can include mission-planning or weapons targeting.
Deals and Disagreements
This week, OpenAI reached a deal with the Pentagon so that the military could use its tools, including ChatGPT, on an unclassified network called genai.mil, which has been rolled out to more than 3 million Defense Department employees. As part of the deal, OpenAI agreed to remove many of its typical user restrictions although some guardrails remain.
In a statement, OpenAI said this week’s agreement is specific to unclassified use through genai.mil. Expanding on that agreement would require a new or modified agreement, a spokesperson said.
Anthropic executives have told military officials that they do not want their technology used to target weapons autonomously and conduct U.S. domestic surveillance. Anthropic’s products include a chatbot called Claude.
President Donald Trump has ordered the Department of Defense to rename itself the Department of War, a change that will require action by Congress.
(With inputs from Reuters)
