OpenAI has controversially agreed to give the Pentagon access to its Artificial Intelligence, intensifying concerns about how the company’s tools could be used in military settings. There is pressure to integrate it quickly with existing military tools. One defense official revealed it could even assist in selecting strike targets. OpenAI’s partnership with Anduril, which makes drones and counter-drone technologies, adds another hint at what is to come.
Artificial Intelligence has long handled military analysis, but applying generative Artificial Intelligence advice to actions in the field is now being tested in earnest for the first time in Iran. The central question is no longer whether the technology can support defense workflows, but which applications customers and employees will tolerate as deployment moves closer to frontline decision-making. The developments point to a broader shift from analytical support toward direct operational use.
Elsewhere in technology, xAI has been sued over Artificial Intelligence-generated child sexual abuse material, with victims alleging Grok was built to create porn from photos of real people. Anthropic is recruiting a weapons expert to prevent “catastrophic misuse” of its Artificial Intelligence, specifically seeking experience with “chemical weapons and/or explosives defense.” OpenAI is also reported to be planning a stronger focus on coding and business users, while internal wellbeing experts opposed the launch of ChatGPT’s “adult mode,” warning about harms for vulnerable users.
The wider briefing also highlights policy, hardware, and information warfare. In a world-first, China has approved a brain chip for commercial use for treating paralysis, signaling continued progress in brain-computer interfaces. Political divisions in the US are widening around Artificial Intelligence, with President Trump driving a wedge between Republicans and contributing to a sweeping Artificial Intelligence bill flopping in Florida. Separately, concerns about deception and manipulation continue to grow, from real-time legal coaching through smartglasses in court to generative Artificial Intelligence amplifying disinformation and propaganda.
The edition closes with a look at Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov, a civilian radio specialist helping Ukraine’s drone defense. Once a month, he drives to the frontline in a VW van equipped with radio hardware, roof antennas, and devices that monitor drones. Though now a civilian, the former officer has taken it upon himself to inform his country’s defense on all matters related to radio. Unlike traditional spies, Flash shares his discoveries with over 127,000 followers, including soldiers and officials, on social media.
