Google and the U.S. Department of War have reached a Google Pentagon AI agreement allowing the Pentagon to use the company’s AI services on classified networks.
A U.S. official familiar with the matter said the agreement resembles deals signed with other AI companies, including OpenAI and xAI.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has pledged to turn the U.S. military into an AI-first warfighting force,.
Google spokesperson Kate Dreyer told NBC News by email that the company was proud to join a broad consortium providing AI services and infrastructure for national security.
Dreyer also referenced Anthropic’s position that AI systems should not support domestic mass surveillance or autonomous weaponry without appropriate human oversight.
It remains unclear whether Google sought guarantees from the Pentagon similar to those requested by Anthropic Chief Executive Officer Dario Amodei.
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Michael Horowitz, a former senior defence official and University of Pennsylvania professor, said the deal shows the importance of integrating AI into national security systems.
Horowitz said the contract was not surprising because Google services were already used on unclassified systems.
