The Pentagon has allowed the US military to use Grok, an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot developed by Elon Musk's xAI, in its classified systems, Axios reported on Monday.
According to a source familiar with the matter, the US Department of Defense and xAI "have signed an agreement allowing the military to use Grok in classified systems". These systems are related to intelligence, weapons development and combat operations. As the portal notes, the Pentagon has previously only authorized the use of Claude, an AI model developed by the American company Anthropic, in these systems.
The US Department of Defense is currently considering ending its partnership with Anthropic, as it insists on maintaining restrictions on the military use of Claude. The Pentagon is seeking permission from its AI partners to use their developments “for all lawful purposes”, which the department defines as military operations and intelligence gathering. xAI agrees to these conditions, but Anthropic does not agree. Anthropic requires that the systems it creates not be used for “mass surveillance of Americans” or for the operation of “fully autonomous weapons”.
The portal notes that it is not yet clear whether xAI will be able to completely replace Anthropic for the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to meet with Anthropic’s leadership on February 24 and “effectively issue an ultimatum,” demanding that the aforementioned restrictions be lifted or ties will be severed.
As The Wall Street Journal reported on February 13, citing sources, the Pentagon used Claude during the operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, despite Anthropic’s ban on using the technology to facilitate violence.
In 2025, Musk spent several months overseeing the agency’s efforts to improve the efficiency of the U.S. government. He is the richest person on the planet. According to recent estimates by Bloomberg, his net worth exceeds $664 billion.