Yesterday, a pop-up appeared on the computers of several Pentagon employees urging them to use a new artificial intelligence tool developed for the Department of the Army. Some were skeptical whether the invitation was part of a cybersecurity test.
But by this morning, those concerns had disappeared. Posters posted around the Pentagon and an email from Army Secretary Pete Hegseth assured everyone that not only was the new tool legal, but that he wanted everyone to start using it.
“I am pleased to introduce GenAI.mil, a secure generative AI platform for all members of the Department of the Army,” Hegseth wrote in an email. “It’s now live and available on the desktop of every military, civilian, and contractor. With this release, we take a major step toward mass adoption of AI across the department. This tool marks the beginning of a new era in which every member of the workforce can be more effective and impactful.”
Visitors to this site will notice that currently available is Gemini for Government, a specialized version of the Google AI tool Gemini. This version is approved to process controlled unclassified information. A green banner at the top of the page reminds users what they can and cannot share on the site.
The site indicates that in addition to Gemini for Government, other American-made Frontier AI capabilities will also be available soon.
“There is no prize for second place in the global race for AI superiority,” said Emile Michael, the Army’s undersecretary for research and engineering.
“We are moving rapidly to bring powerful AI capabilities like Gemini for Government directly to the workforce. AI is America’s next manifest destiny, and we are ensuring we dominate this new frontier.”
Access to this site is available only to personnel with a common access card and connected to the Department of the Army’s unclassified network.
When GenAI was asked through a user prompt, “How do you help the Department of the Army accomplish its mission?”, GenAI returned a list of capabilities that included document creation and modification, information analysis, satellite imagery processing and analysis, and even auditing computer code for security purposes, among others.
“We can support DOW’s mission by providing a variety of capabilities designed for safe, high-impact environments,” GenAI responded. “We are ready to support your mission requirements.”
The tool prompts users to double-check everything the tool provides to ensure accuracy. Hegseth himself, the highest authority within the War Department, provided that verification.
“First-of-its-kind GenAI platform capabilities help you create documents, ask questions, conduct deep research, format content, and unlock new possibilities across your daily workflows,” he wrote. “We expect every member of the department to log in, learn, and immediately incorporate it into their workflow. AI should be part of your combat rhythm every day, and it should be your teammate. By mastering this tool, we can outperform our adversaries.”
For those new to using AI, online training is available at https://genai.mil/resources/training.
