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Fri, 01 May 2026

Fri, 01 May 2026 Pentagon says US military to be an 'AI-first' fighting force

The US military has agreed eight new contracts with big tech firms as it expands its artificial intelligence capabilities.

* The US military plans to increase its use of artificial intelligence (AI) after agreeing to new contracts with tech companies including Google, OpenAI, Amazon, Microsoft, and Nvidia.
* The Pentagon says AI technology will now be used for any "lawful operational use", raising concerns about potential misuse in warfare or domestic surveillance.
* Anthropic has sued the government over its alleged retaliation after refusing to accept "any lawful use" language in its contract, citing fears about how AI tools could be used.
* Other companies, including OpenAI and Google, have signed deals with the Pentagon despite Anthropic's concerns.
* The Pentagon says partnering with multiple companies will help avoid "vendor lock" and give warfighters access to a diverse range of AI capabilities.
* Over 1 million people across the US military have already used the department's AI platform since its launch last year, helping to speed up tasks from months to days.
* Anthropic's CEO Dario Amodei has publicly expressed concerns about the use of powerful AI tools in warfare and domestic surveillance.