- Pentagon confirms it is expanding the use of Google Gemini
- Gemini will be used for classified projects under the agreement
- More than 700 Google employees signed an open letter opposing the deal.
Pentagon AI chief Cameron Stanley has confirmed that the Department of Defense (DoD) has secured use of Google’s Gemini AI model.
Gemini will be used for classified projects, CNBC reports, citing a source close to the matter. Google employees recently called on CEO Sundar Pichai to reject any use of Gemini for “classified purposes.”
The DoD also recently expanded its AI capabilities to include offerings from OpenAI, with Stanley commenting: “Over-reliance on a single vendor is never a good thing. We’re seeing that, especially in software.”
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Pentagon to use Gemini for classified projects
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth designated Anthropic a “supply chain risk” after the company refused to allow its Claude model to be used for “mass domestic surveillance” and “fully autonomous weapons” in its contract with the Pentagon.
The Pentagon subsequently canceled its $200 million contract with Anthropic, and the company’s technology was banned from use by government contractors working on behalf of the U.S. military. Anthropic is now engaged in a legal battle with the Pentagon over the designation.
To fill the void left by Anthropic, DoD has worked to secure the use of new AI tools from OpenAI and Google, alongside many other technology providers.
A Google spokesperson told CNBC: “We support government agencies on classified and unclassified projects, applying our expertise to areas such as logistics, cybersecurity, diplomatic translation, fleet maintenance and critical infrastructure defense. »
The Pentagon seeks to leverage AI tools to maintain US hegemony on the global stage. “I have a personal quote that I usually say in these moments: You don’t microwave a Thanksgiving turkey,” Stanley said. “You need to have the right technology for the right use case to get the right result. »
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