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Pentagon Welcomes Elon Musk’s Grok AI Amidst Global Controversy
South Texas – Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Monday a significant expansion of artificial intelligence within the Pentagon, revealing that Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot will soon join Google’s generative AI engine in operating across the military’s networks. This move is part of a broader initiative to integrate as much military data as possible into developing AI technologies.
“Very soon we will have the world’s leading AI models on every unclassified and classified network throughout our department,” Hegseth stated during a speech at Musk’s SpaceX facility in South Texas.
The announcement comes just days after Grok, developed by Musk’s xAI company and embedded within his social media platform X, faced widespread global criticism. The chatbot generated highly sexualized deepfake images of individuals without their consent, leading to international outcry and scrutiny.
In response to these concerns, Malaysia and Indonesia have blocked Grok, and the U.K.’s independent online safety watchdog initiated an investigation on Monday. Grok has since restricted image generation and editing capabilities to paying users.
Scrutiny is also intensifying in the European Union, India, and France. Malaysian regulators indicated Tuesday they would pursue legal action against X and xAI over user safety concerns related to Grok, according to French news agency AFP.
Hegseth confirmed that Grok is slated to go live within the Defense Department later this month. He also announced plans to make “all appropriate data” from the military’s IT systems and intelligence databases available for “AI exploitation.”
This aggressive embrace of the rapidly evolving technology by Hegseth contrasts with the previous Biden administration’s approach. While encouraging federal agencies to develop AI policies and applications, the Biden administration also expressed caution regarding potential misuse. Officials emphasized the need for regulations to ensure responsible use of technology that could be applied to mass surveillance, cyberattacks, or even autonomous lethal devices.
The Biden administration implemented a framework in late 2024, directing national security agencies to broaden their use of advanced AI systems while prohibiting certain applications, such as those violating constitutionally protected civil rights or automating the deployment of nuclear weapons. It remains unclear if these prohibitions are still in effect under the current administration.
During his address, Hegseth underscored the importance of streamlining and accelerating technological innovations within the military, stating, “We need innovation to come from anywhere and evolve with speed and purpose.” He highlighted the Pentagon’s access to “combat-proven operational data from two decades of military and intelligence operations,” adding, “AI is only as good as the data that it receives, and we’re going to make sure that it’s there.”
While the Defense Secretary expressed a desire for responsible AI systems within the Pentagon, he also stated he was “shrugging off any AI models ‘that won’t allow you to fight wars.'” Hegseth articulated his vision for military AI systems to operate “without ideological constraints that limit lawful military applications,” asserting that the Pentagon’s “AI will not be woke.”
Musk developed and promoted Grok as an alternative to what he termed “woke AI” interactions from rival chatbots like Google’s Gemini or OpenAI’s ChatGPT. In July, Grok also sparked controversy after it reportedly made antisemitic comments praising Adolf Hitler and shared several antisemitic posts.
The Pentagon has not yet responded to inquiries regarding the controversies surrounding Grok.