The Department of War has finalized agreements with OpenAI, Google, SpaceX/xAI, Microsoft, Amazon, Nvidia, and Reflection AI to deploy AI tools in "classified settings." This means these tools will operate within secure government networks where sensitive or secret national security information is handled, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Anthropic's Claude had previously been one of the few AI tools available on Palantir's Maven platform. However, after the DoW labeled Anthropic a supply chain risk, the department pushed to broaden access to AI tools for top-secret work.
The deal with the seven AI companies to unleash these models for secret national-security work, such as intelligence reports, satellite imagery, drone feeds, signals data, battlefield updates, logistics data, or classified planning documents, merely reflects that Silicon Valley is coming around in supporting the DoD after years of rejecting work with the department.
Emil Michael, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, told the outlet, "We are equipping the warfighter with a suite of AI tools to maintain an unfair advantage and achieve absolute decision superiority."
A Reflection spokeswoman told the outlet, "This shared understanding with the Pentagon is a first step in supporting U.S. national security, and sets a precedent for how AI labs could work across the U.S. government, from supporting our servicemembers to our scientists."
The first indication that at least one Big Tech company had reached a deal with the DoW came on Thursday afternoon, when NBC News reported that Google had agreed to deploy its powerful Gemini AI systems on classified networks.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has made AI a top priority for the armed forces, vowing to transform the military into "an AI-first warfighting force."
"We are proud to be part of a broad consortium of leading AI labs and technology and cloud companies providing AI services and infrastructure in support of national security," Google spokesperson Kate Dreyer said in an email to NBC News.
Hegseth on Thursday defended the DoW's use of AI tools in classified military operations, telling Congress that "humans make decisions" and that "AI is not making lethal decisions."
Hegseth called Anthropic's CEO an "ideological lunatic," which only shows the rift between the left-leaning AI startup and the military is widening.
According to Tech Crunch, Anthropic is in the process of closing another fundraising round, asking investors to submit applications over the next two days as the startup seeks $50 billion at a $900 billion valuation. The previous valuation of $380 billion was in February.