The U.S. military is integrating artificial intelligence into its operations. According to multiple informed sources, OpenAI has partnered with two defense technology companies selected by the Pentagon to participate in a bid to develop voice-controlled drone swarm software for the U.S. military. Two of these sources indicated that OpenAI's technology is being used to convert battlefield commanders' voice commands into digital instructions executable by drones.
In a separate development, The Wall Street Journal, citing informed sources, reported that the U.S. military used Anthropic's AI tool, Claude, during a January raid in Venezuela aimed at capturing the country's former president, highlighting the increasingly significant role AI models are playing for the Pentagon.
Regarding the OpenAI initiative, reports indicate the collaboration is part of a $100 million military challenge to develop software for voice-controlled drone swarms. The competition, launched in January by the Defense Innovation Unit and the Defense Autonomy Operations Group of the Special Operations Command, seeks prototypes capable of directing autonomous drone swarms via verbal commands. OpenAI's role is reportedly limited to translating spoken battlefield commands into digital instructions for unmanned systems. Sources clarify that its technology does not control drones, integrate weapons, or possess targeting authority. The company stated it did not submit its own bid and its involvement is limited, providing only an open-source version of its model.
The six-month competition will proceed in phases, starting with software development before moving to field testing. Later phases envision multi-domain coordination across air and sea systems, with the Pentagon noting that mission execution elements could influence a system's lethality and effectiveness. This move signals a broader expansion of OpenAI's cooperation with the defense sector. This week, the Pentagon also announced a separate arrangement to provide ChatGPT to approximately three million Department of Defense personnel. CEO Sam Altman has previously stated the company does not anticipate developing AI-powered weapons platforms in the foreseeable future but has not ruled out the possibility.
Concerning the use of Claude, the report suggests the U.S. Department of Defense gained access to the tool through Anthropic's partnership with data analysis software provider Palantir, a frequent collaborator with the Defense Department and federal law enforcement. Anthropic is noted as the first AI model developer whose technology has been used by the U.S. Defense Department for a classified operation. The report also suggests other AI tools may have been used in the Venezuela operation for unclassified tasks, with potential uses ranging from document summarization to controlling autonomous drones.
As AI companies seek legitimacy and support high valuations, military procurement is seen as a significant endorsement. However, Anthropic executives, including CEO Dario Amodei, are reportedly highly attentive to the potential societal risks posed by AI. In response to the reporting, an Anthropic spokesperson stated they could not comment on whether Claude or any AI model was used in any specific operation, classified or not. The spokesperson emphasized that use of Claude, whether by private sector or government entities, must comply with the company's usage policies governing deployment, and that they are working closely with partners to ensure compliant use. The U.S. Department of Defense declined to comment.
In a January event announcing the Pentagon's collaboration with xAI, Defense Secretary hinted that the military would not employ AI models that restrict combat capabilities, a remark perceived as a reference to discussions with Anthropic. In January, the U.S. Department of Defense released a new AI strategy and related memorandum aimed at building an "AI-first" fighting force to consolidate American military advantage. The strategy explicitly targets accelerating the establishment of AI dominance within the U.S. military, making its deployment concepts and implementation paths noteworthy.