OpenAI announced on Monday the launch of a custom version of ChatGPT on the Pentagon’s artificial intelligence platform. In doing so, the company joined other major industry players, including Google and Elon Musk’s xAI, already present on the US Department of Defense’s GenAI.mil platform.
As OpenAI clarified, the specialized version of ChatGPT will operate on “authorized government cloud infrastructure with built-in safety and security measures” and has been approved for use in unclassified tasks. The company emphasized that it considers it essential for institutions responsible for national defense to have access to the most advanced tools available. According to OpenAI, it is crucial for the United States and other democratic countries to understand how, with appropriate constraints and safeguards in place, artificial intelligence can be used to protect people, deter adversaries, and prevent future conflicts.
Earlier, in July last year, OpenAI received a contract worth up to $200 million from the US Department of Defense’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office as part of the agency’s effort to expand the use of artificial intelligence. Similar contracts were awarded at the same time to Anthropic, Google, and xAI.
At the same time, according to media reports, Anthropic has clashed with the Pentagon in recent months over restrictions that prohibit the use of its Claude model for domestic surveillance and autonomous lethal operations. In its statement on Monday, OpenAI emphasized that its models “incorporate safeguards at both the model and platform levels” and support “all lawful uses.”