The Pentagon is preparing to integrate Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence chatbot Grok into its internal networks, alongside Google’s generative AI systems.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday that the rollout is part of a broader effort to funnel vast amounts of U.S. military data into artificial intelligence platforms. Speaking at Musk’s SpaceX facility in South Texas, Hegseth described the move as a foundational shift in how the department operates.
“Very soon we will have the world’s leading AI models on every unclassified and classified network throughout our department,” Hegseth said.
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The announcement arrives amid mounting international criticism of Grok. The chatbot, which is embedded into Musk’s social media platform X, has faced backlash in recent days for generating highly sexualized deepfake images of individuals without their consent. Malaysia and Indonesia have since blocked the service, while the United Kingdom’s independent online safety watchdog said Monday that it has opened an investigation. Grok has since restricted image generation and editing features to paying users.
Despite the controversy, Hegseth said Grok will become operational within the Defense Department later this month. He also disclosed plans to open up extensive military information systems to artificial intelligence tools, saying he would “make all appropriate data” available for “AI exploitation.” According to Hegseth, this would include data drawn from intelligence databases.
The aggressive posture represents a sharp departure from the Biden administration’s more cautious approach to artificial intelligence. While the previous administration encouraged federal agencies to explore AI use, it also emphasized guardrails to prevent abuse. Officials warned that the technology could enable mass surveillance, cyberattacks, or the development of lethal autonomous weapons if left unchecked.
In late 2024, the Biden administration introduced a national security framework that expanded access to advanced AI while explicitly banning certain applications. Those prohibitions included systems that would violate constitutionally protected civil rights or automate the use of nuclear weapons. It remains unclear whether those restrictions are still being enforced under the Trump administration.
Hegseth, however, made clear that speed and flexibility would guide the Pentagon’s approach. During his remarks, he emphasized the need to remove bureaucratic obstacles that slow technological adoption.
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“We need innovation to come from anywhere and evolve with speed and purpose,” he said.
He also pointed to the scale of information held by the Defense Department, noting that it possesses “combat-proven operational data from two decades of military and intelligence operations.”
“AI is only as good as the data that it receives, and we’re going to make sure that it’s there,” Hegseth said.
While the defense secretary said he wants AI systems to be used responsibly, he also suggested there would be little tolerance for restrictions he views as limiting military effectiveness. He said he was prepared to dismiss any AI models “that won’t allow you to fight wars.”
Hegseth added that future Pentagon AI systems would operate “without ideological constraints that limit lawful military applications,” and declared that the department’s “AI will not be woke.”
Musk has repeatedly positioned Grok as an alternative to what he characterizes as politically constrained artificial intelligence offered by competitors such as Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Grok has previously drawn scrutiny, including in July when it appeared to generate antisemitic content that praised Adolf Hitler and circulated antisemitic posts.
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The Pentagon did not immediately respond to questions about Grok’s past issues, the Associated Press indicated in a report.
