AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The U.S. government has confirmed the use of the artificial intelligence system "Grok," developed by Elon Musk's company xAI, in certain military operations. This was mentioned in a legal memorandum obtained by Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The memorandum was originally prepared to defend the use of gas turbines at a large data center owned by xAI, a facility that is facing an environmental complaint.
In this document, the U.S. Department of Justice argued that this complaint could endanger the national security, economy, and energy security of the United States, because it might disrupt the power supply to AI systems used in military operations.
"Grok" in the "Maven" Military Project
To support this claim, federal prosecutors cited the statements of Cameron Stanley, the head of the AI division at the U.S. Department of Defense.
In his official testimony, Stanley announced that "Grok" is currently being used in the "Maven" project—an AI-based program used by the U.S. military to analyze intelligence and identify targets.
This project initially used AI models from Anthropic but later turned to other options.
According to Stanley, the intelligent systems of the Maven project assisted U.S. forces in the war against Iran in employing over two thousand munitions against two thousand different targets within 96 hours.
He also praised the technology developed by Elon Musk's company, describing it as a factor in significantly increasing operational efficiency.
Environmental Lawsuit Against xAI
Meanwhile, the NAACP has filed a lawsuit against xAI.
The civil rights organization claims that the company has installed dozens of gas turbines without obtaining the necessary permits, thereby violating U.S. clean air laws.
The plaintiffs state that this equipment has caused pollution in areas where the majority of residents are Black citizens.
In response, xAI maintains that these turbines are temporary and transportable, and therefore are not subject to the referenced regulations.
End of Cooperation with Anthropic and Turn to New Rivals
According to the published report, the U.S. government ended its cooperation with Anthropic at the end of last February.
The reason for this decision was the company's opposition to the use of its technologies in fully automated attacks, as well as in extensive surveillance programs.
Following this, the U.S. Department of Defense expanded its cooperation with other companies, including Google, OpenAI, and xAI, to continue its AI programs.
This process, however, has also faced opposition. At Google, over 600 employees called for an end to cooperation in military AI projects and warned about the consequences of the military use of this technology.
Elon Musk's More Prominent Role in Defense
Elon Musk, who is considered a close figure to Donald Trump, merged xAI with his broader technology and aerospace activities in February.
The disclosure of the use of "Grok" in military projects indicates that the AI developed by Musk's company is now not merely a commercial or research tool, but has become part of the technological infrastructure used by U.S. defense institutions—an issue that could spark new debates about the role of technology companies in future wars.
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