The Pentagon continues to search for the AI tool that meets all its requirements and needs. While Anthropic and the US Department of Defense remain locked in a tense standoff, Elon Musk’s xAI has successfully secured a deal to bring its Grok model into the military’s most sensitive networks. It seems the willingness to follow government mandates is becoming just as important as the technology itself.
How Grok won a deal with the Pentagon while Anthropic stood its ground
At the center of the conflict is a disagreement over artificial intelligence use in the field. Anthropic, the creator of Claude, has refused to lift security safeguards that prevent its AI from being used for mass surveillance or the development of autonomous weapons. The company maintains that today’s AI is not yet reliable enough for such high-stakes military decisions without human oversight. Meanwhile, they are getting a looming ultimatum from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The Pentagon’s response to this resistance has been swift and aggressive. Officials have threatened to label Anthropic a supply chain risk. This move could effectively end their multi-million-dollar partnership. In contrast, according to Axios, xAI reportedly agreed to the military’s “all lawful purposes” standard. This paved the way for Grok to assist the Pentagon.
Some concerns by experts
This transition is not without its critics. Experts like Jurgita Lapienytė, chief editor at Cybernews, have raised concerns about whether safety rules are becoming a business liability. There is a growing debate over whether punishing companies for maintaining ethical guardrails might discourage the entire industry from prioritizing safety. Furthermore, while Grok is now trusted with defense secrets, it remains banned in countries like Indonesia and Malaysia. This is due to concerns over deepfakes and online safety.
Replacing a system as integrated as Claude is technically complex and will likely take time. Anthropic’s technology was already being used in major operations through partnerships with firms like Palantir. However, the Pentagon is also looking toward other players. Officials have accelerated discussions with Google and OpenAI as the government seeks a broader roster of AI providers willing to meet their operational requirements.
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