The United States Department of Defense is moving ahead with plans to deploy Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence chatbot Grok within the Pentagon network, even as the tool faces growing international criticism.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Monday that Grok will operate alongside Google’s generative AI systems inside the Pentagon. The move is part of a wider effort to integrate large amounts of military data into artificial intelligence systems.
“Very soon we will have the world’s leading AI models on every unclassified and classified network throughout our department,” Hegseth said during a speech at Musk’s space flight company facility in South Texas.
The announcement comes days after Grok, which is built into the social media platform owned by Musk, sparked global backlash for generating highly sexualised deepfake images of people without their consent. Malaysia and Indonesia have blocked the chatbot, while the United Kingdom’s online safety watchdog has launched an investigation. Grok has since restricted image generation and editing features to paying users.
Hegseth said Grok will go live inside the Defense Department later this month. He added that he plans to make “all appropriate data” from military IT systems available for “AI exploitation,” including data from intelligence databases.
This approach marks a sharp shift from the previous administration, which encouraged the use of AI in government but stressed the need for strict safeguards. Officials at the time warned that unchecked use of AI could enable mass surveillance, cyberattacks or autonomous weapons.
In late 2024, a framework was introduced that allowed national security agencies to expand AI use but banned certain applications, including systems that could violate civil rights or automate nuclear weapon deployment. It remains unclear whether these limits still apply.
Hegseth emphasised speed and flexibility in adopting new technologies. “We need innovation to come from anywhere and evolve with speed and purpose,” he said. He also pointed to the Pentagon’s extensive operational data from decades of military activity.
“AI is only as good as the data that it receives, and we’re going to make sure that it’s there,” he said.
While stating that military AI must be responsible, Hegseth added that he would dismiss models “that won’t allow you to fight wars.” He said the Pentagon’s systems would operate “without ideological constraints that limit lawful military applications,” adding that its “AI will not be woke.”
Grok has faced earlier controversies, including criticism for antisemitic content. The Defense Department has not yet responded to questions about these concerns.
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