Adm. Brad Cooper said artificial intelligence is helping with data processing, but humans are making the final decisions.
Published March 11, 2026
The US military has confirmed it has used a “variety” of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in its war with Iran, amid growing concerns about rising civilian casualties in the conflict.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Secretary Brad Cooper said Wednesday that AI is helping U.S. soldiers process large amounts of data.
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“Our warfighters utilize a variety of advanced AI tools. These systems allow us to sift through vast amounts of data in seconds, allowing our leaders to cut through the noise and make smarter decisions faster than our adversaries can react,” Cooper said in a video message.
“While humans will always make the final decisions about what to photograph, what not to photograph, and when to photograph it, advanced AI tools can reduce processes that previously took hours or even days to seconds.”
The confirmation comes amid growing calls for an independent investigation into the bombing of a school in southern Iran that killed more than 170 people, mostly children.
The US and Israeli military operation has killed more than 1,250 people in Iran since it began on February 28.
Cooper emphasized that humans make the final targeting decisions, but rights experts have raised concerns about the use of AI in warfare.
Multiple reports have confirmed that Israel relied heavily on AI during its genocidal war in Gaza, which has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians since October 2023 and reduced much of the territory to rubble.
The Iranian Red Crescent said on Wednesday that the US and Israeli artillery campaign had damaged around 20,000 civilian buildings and 77 medical facilities.
Iranian officials said the strike also damaged oil depots, several street markets, sports venues, schools and a desalination plant.
President Donald Trump’s administration has sought to expand access to technological tools for military use.
The U.S. government is embroiled in a public battle with Anthropic after the tech company, which had a contract with the Pentagon to coincide with the attack on Iran, insisted that its AI models not be used for fully autonomous weapons or mass surveillance.
Anthropic sued the Trump administration after Washington blacklisted the company as a “supply chain risk,” effectively banning it from doing direct or indirect business with government agencies.
“America’s warfighters supporting Operation Epic Fury and all missions around the world will never be held hostage by unelected technology executives or Silicon Valley ideologues,” Pentagon spokesman Kingsley Wilson said in a statement last week.
“We will decide, dominate, and win.”
