Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot will join Google’s generative AI engine in operation within the Pentagon network as part of a broader effort to feed as much military data as possible into developing technologies.
“Soon, all unclassified and classified networks across the department will have world-leading AI models in place,” Hegseth said in a speech at Musk’s spaceflight company SpaceX in South Texas.
The announcement comes days after Grok, which is part of Musk’s social media network X, drew global outcry and scrutiny for producing highly sexualized deepfake images of people without their consent.
Malaysia and Indonesia have blocked Grok, and Britain’s independent online safety watchdog has announced an investigation.
Grok restricts image generation and editing to paid users.
Hegseth said Grok will begin operations within the Pentagon later this month, announcing that it will make “all pertinent data” from military IT systems available for “AI applications.”
He also said that data from the intelligence database will be fed into the AI system.
Mr. Hegseth’s willingness to embrace emerging technologies stands in contrast to the Biden administration, which encouraged federal agencies to develop AI policies and uses but also warned against misuse.
U.S. officials said the technology could be misused for mass surveillance, cyberattacks and even deadly autonomous devices, so rules are needed to ensure it is used responsibly.
The Biden administration enacted a framework in late 2024 directing national security agencies to expand their use of cutting-edge AI systems, but prohibited certain uses, including applications that violate constitutionally protected civil rights and systems that automate the deployment of nuclear weapons.
It is unclear whether such bans remain in place under the Trump administration.
In his speech, Hegseth spoke about the need to streamline and speed up innovation within the military, saying, “We need innovation that comes from everywhere and evolves with speed and purpose.”
He noted that the Pentagon has “battle-proven operational data from 20 years of military and intelligence operations.”
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“AI is only as good as the data it receives, and we’re going to make sure it’s there,” Hegseth said.
The Secretary of Defense said he wants to hold AI systems within the Pentagon accountable, but he went on to say he is ignoring AI models that “do not wage war.”
Hegseth said his vision for military AI systems means they operate “without ideological constraints that limit legitimate military use,” and then added that the Pentagon’s “AI will never wake up.”
Musk developed and pitched Grok as an alternative to the “awake AI” interactions offered by rival chatbots such as Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
In July, Grok caused controversy after making anti-Semitic comments praising Adolf Hitler and appearing to share several anti-Semitic posts.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to questions about Mr. Grok’s issue.
