A US government legal filing has disclosed that Elon Musk's artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, is being utilized by the United States military in operations targeting Iran. The revelation came in a June 15 court brief filed by the Department of Justice as part of an environmental lawsuit involving xAI, Musk's AI company.
Details of the Filing
The Department of Justice argued that shutting off power to xAI's data center could harm national security, as the facility supports AI systems used by the military. The filing includes testimony from Cameron Stanley, the Pentagon's chief of AI operations, who confirmed that Grok is used within Project Maven, the military's AI-assisted targeting program. Stanley stated that Maven Smart Systems enabled US forces to deploy over 2,000 munitions to distinct targets within 96 hours during Operation Epic Fury, praising the efficiency of the Grok Gov Model.
Legal Battle Over Data Center
The disclosure emerged from a lawsuit by the NAACP, which accuses xAI of operating gas turbines without permits, violating the Clean Air Act and polluting nearby communities. xAI denies wrongdoing, calling the turbines temporary equipment. The filing also reveals that federal agencies ended contracts with Anthropic in February after the company refused to allow its AI for autonomous strikes, leading the Pentagon to expand work with xAI, Google, and OpenAI.
Implications for AI in Warfare
The use of Grok in military operations has sparked debate. Over 600 Google employees previously petitioned against providing AI for classified military programs. Musk, a close ally of President Donald Trump, merged xAI with SpaceX earlier this year, strengthening ties between his businesses and national security projects.
