Use of artificial intelligence by the United States Department of Defense

{{Short description|none}} The United States Department of Defense has been analyzing and employing military applications of artificial intelligence since at least 2014. The program initially focused on drones and other robots, but has also been using large language models for military research and analysis. The current US policy on lethal autonomous weapons is Department of Defense Directive 3000.09, updated in January 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sayler |first=Kelley M. |date=2026-03-26 |title=Defense Primer: U.S. Policy on Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems |url=https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IF11150 |access-date=2026-05-08 |website=Congressional Research Service Products (Library of Congress)}}</ref>

==Background== {{See also|Artificial intelligence arms race}} The United States Department of Defense began developing lethal autonomous weapons as early as the Reagan administration. An early version of the Tomahawk missile could have been used to destroy Soviet ships without direct human control; the initiative was abandoned after the United States and the Soviet Union signed START I. By 2014, the United Kingdom, Israel, and Norway had already begun using missiles equipped with artificial intelligence systems.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/12/science/weapons-directed-by-robots-not-humans-raise-ethical-questions.html |title=Fearing Bombs That Can Pick Whom to Kill |date=November 11, 2014 |last=Markoff |first=John |author-link=John Markoff |work=The New York Times |access-date=February 27, 2026}}</ref> The Department of Defense established a policy on the use of artificial intelligence in 2012.<ref name="NYTimesDangers">{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/29/technology/report-cites-dangers-of-autonomous-weapons.html |title=Report Cites Dangers of Autonomous Weapons |date=February 28, 2016 |last=Markoff |first=John |author-link=John Markoff |work=The New York Times |access-date=February 27, 2026}}</ref>

==History== ===2016–2017: Carter secretaryship=== [[File:A Drone with a Brain.webm|thumb|Footage from a drone equipped with an artificial intelligence system at Camp Edwards in August 2016]] In May 2016, secretary of defense Ash Carter stated that his Third Offset strategy would include utilizing artificial intelligence as a military advantage.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/12/technology/artificial-intelligence-as-the-pentagons-latest-weapon.html |title=Pentagon Turns to Silicon Valley for Edge in Artificial Intelligence |date=May 11, 2016 |last=Markoff |first=John |author-link=John Markoff |work=The New York Times |access-date=February 27, 2026}}</ref> ''The New York Times'' reported that year that the Department of Defense had tested an autonomous drone at an approximation of a Middle Eastern village at Camp Edwards. Deputy secretary of defense Robert O. Work, who advocated for developing artificial intelligence, told the ''Times'' that the United States needed to compete with China and Russia by having a tactical advantage they could not easily replicate. The initiative was developed by DARPA beginning in 2015.<ref name="NYTimesTerminator">{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/26/us/pentagon-artificial-intelligence-terminator.html |title=The Pentagon's 'Terminator Conundrum': Robots That Could Kill on Their Own |date=October 25, 2016 |last1=Rosenberg |first1=Matthew |last2=Markoff |first2=John |author-link1=Matthew Rosenberg |author-link2=John Markoff |work=The New York Times |access-date=February 27, 2026}}</ref> The use of artificial intelligence in the U.S. military was controversial within the department;<ref name="NYTimesTerminator"/> in February, Paul Scharre, who worked for the Office of the Secretary of Defense in the secretaryships of Robert Gates and Leon Panetta, published a report about the risks of artificial intelligence for broad military applications.<ref name="NYTimesDangers"/>

===2017–2019: Mattis secretaryship=== {{See also|Project Maven}} By 2017, the United States Air Force had already begun using artificial intelligence in military robots. The Air Force's use of Neurala, an artificial intelligence company, concerned officials in the Department of Defense after an investigation found that Neurala had accepted money from an investment firm with funding from a state-run Chinese company.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/22/technology/china-defense-start-ups.html |title=China Bets on Sensitive U.S. Start-Ups, Worrying the Pentagon |date=March 22, 2017 |last1=Mozur |first1=Paul |last2=Perlez |first2=Jane |work=The New York Times |access-date=February 27, 2026}}</ref> The Department of Defense began heavily investing in artificial intelligence after Work established Project Maven, an initiative to encourage the development and integration of artificial intelligence in the military, in April 2017.<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/story/googles-contentious-pentagon-project-is-likely-to-expand/ |title=Pentagon Will Expand AI Project Prompting Protests at Google |date=May 29, 2018 |last=Simonite |first=Tom |magazine=Wired |access-date=February 27, 2026}}</ref> In May 2018, secretary of defense Jim Mattis privately expressed to president Donald Trump that he needed to establish a national strategy on artificial intelligence, quoting an article from former secretary of state Henry Kissinger that called for a presidential commission on the technology. The Department of Defense established the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center the following month.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/26/technology/pentagon-artificial-intelligence.html |title=Artificial Intelligence Is Now a Pentagon Priority. Will Silicon Valley Help? |date=August 26, 2018 |last=Metz |first=Cade |work=The New York Times |access-date=February 27, 2026}}</ref> Google began working with the Department of Defense on analyzing drone footage as early as March.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/15/technology/military-artificial-intelligence.html |title=Pentagon Wants Silicon Valley's Help on A.I. |date=March 15, 2018 |last=Metz |first=Cade |work=The New York Times |access-date=February 27, 2026}}</ref> Google's involvement in the initiative led to protests from employees and mass resignations.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/30/technology/google-project-maven-pentagon.html |title=How a Pentagon Contract Became an Identity Crisis for Google |date=May 30, 2018 |last1=Shane |first1=Scott |last2=Metz |first2=Cade |last3=Wakabayashi |first3=Daisuke |author-link1=Scott Shane |work=The New York Times |access-date=February 27, 2026}}</ref> Seeking to quell internal unrest, Google stated it would not renew its contract with the Department of Defense in June.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/01/technology/google-pentagon-project-maven.html |title=Google Will Not Renew Pentagon Contract That Upset Employees |date=May 30, 2018 |last1=Wakabayashi |first1=Daisuke |last2=Shane |first2=Scott |author-link2=Scott Shane |work=The New York Times |access-date=February 27, 2026}}</ref> The Department of Defense announced an artificial intelligence contract with Microsoft in October.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/26/us/politics/ai-microsoft-pentagon.html |title=Microsoft Says It Will Sell Pentagon Artificial Intelligence and Other Advanced Technology |date=October 26, 2018 |last1=Sanger |first1=David |author-link1=David E. Sanger |work=The New York Times |access-date=February 27, 2026}}</ref>

===2025–present: Hegseth secretaryship=== {{Main|Anthropic–United States Department of Defense dispute}}

In December 2025, secretary of defense Pete Hegseth announced '''{{vanchor|GenAI.mil}}''', an artificial intelligence platform for the Department of Defense. In a video announcing the platform, Hegseth stated that Department of Defense workers would be able to "conduct deep research, format documents and even analyze video or imagery." The Department of Defense contracted first Gemini by Google, then ChatGPT by OpenAI, and finally Grok by xAI for the platform.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Konkel |first=Frank |date=2026-04-27 |title=Pentagon adds Google’s latest model to GenAI.mil as usage soars |url=https://www.defenseone.com/defense-systems/2026/04/pentagon-adds-googles-latest-model-genaimil-usage-soars/413126/ |access-date=2026-05-22 |website=Defense One |language=en}}</ref> Claude by Anthropic was also contracted by the Department of Defense and was in use on secure servers until it was revealed that Claude had been used in the 2026 operation to capture Nicolás Maduro, who was at the time the leader of Venezuela.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Christou |first=William |date=2026-02-14 |title=US military used Anthropic’s AI model Claude in Venezuela raid, report says |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/feb/14/us-military-anthropic-ai-model-claude-venezuela-raid |access-date=2026-05-22 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> This revelation sparked a high-profile dispute over Anthropic's ability to constrain Claude's useage, resulting in the termination of Anthropic's $200 million defense contract.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-02-28 |title=What to know about the clash between the Pentagon and Anthropic over military's AI use |url=https://apnews.com/article/anthropic-pentagon-ai-dario-amodei-hegseth-0c464a054359b9fdc80cf18b0d4f690c |access-date=2026-05-22 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref> The Department of Defense also moved to label Anthropic a supply chain risk, which was later blocked by a federal judge.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cole |first=Hadas Gold, Devan |date=2026-03-26 |title=Judge blocks Pentagon’s effort to ‘punish’ Anthropic by labeling it a supply chain risk {{!}} CNN Business |url=https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/26/business/anthropic-pentagon-injunction-supply-chain-risk |access-date=2026-05-22 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

Category:Applications of artificial intelligence Category:Military and wartime usage of artificial intelligence Category:Artificial intelligence industry in the United States Category:United States Department of Defense