Grok, Elon Musk's AI, was used in US military attacks against Iranian regime
According to an affidavit by the Pentagon’s chief of artificial intelligence, Cameron Stanley, the Grok model is already operational in Project Maven, the military’s A.I.-assisted targeting program.
An image featuring the Grok A.I. logo and the social network X
Artificial intelligence tool Grok, developed by xAI , a company owned by Elon Musk, is being used by the U.S. military in offensive operations, according to a court document seen by AFP and released by the U.S. government.
In a report filed Monday with a federal court, the Department of Justice (DOJ) defended the use of dozens of gas turbines at a massive xAI data center, which is the subject of an environmental lawsuit filed by the NAACP. Federal prosecutors argued that cutting off power to these facilities “threatens American national, economic, and energy security by seeking to shut off the power supply for artificial-intelligence innovation that supports the Department of War’s military operations.”
Grok powers the Pentagon’s targeting
According to an affidavit from the Pentagon’s chief of artificial intelligence, Cameron Stanley, the Grok model is already operational in Project Maven, the military’s A.I.-assisted targeting program. Stanley noted that the Maven Smart Systems (MSS) "enabled U.S. forces to deploy over 2,000 munitions to 2,000 distinct targets within 96 hours during Operation Epic Fury." The official particularly praised the “greatly increased operational efficiency” achieved thanks to Grok Gov Mode.
The NAACP’s lawsuit accuses xAI of operating dozens of turbines without the proper permits, violating the Clean Air Act, and claims that they pollute predominantly black neighborhoods. For its part, xAI maintains that the turbines are temporary and mobile, and therefore do not require the same permits as fixed installations.
Anthropic out, xAI in: The Pentagon’s shift toward Musk
In late February, the government canceled its contracts with Anthropic after the company refused to allow its tools to be used for fully automated attacks and mass domestic surveillance. Since then, the Department of Defense has turned to competitors such as Google, OpenAI and xAI.
Musk, one of President Donald Trump’s key allies, merged his company xAI into SpaceX in February. On June 12, SpaceX completed the largest initial public offering in history.
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