Musk’s xAI and Pentagon reach deal to use Grok in classified systems

(Dave Lawler, Maria Curi – Axios) Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI has signed an agreement to allow the military to use its model, Grok, in classified systems, a Defense official confirmed to Axios. Why it matters: Up to now, Anthropic’s Claude has been the only model available in the systems on which the military’s most sensitive intelligence work, weapons development and battlefield operations take place. But the Pentagon is threatening Anthropic in a dispute over safeguards and may soon need a replacement. Anthropic has refused the Pentagon’s demand that they make Claude available for “all lawful purposes,” insisting in particular on blocking its use for the mass surveillance of Americans and the development of fully autonomous weapons. xAI agreed to that “all lawful use” standard, as Axios previously reported. The New York Times first reported that a deal had been signed. xAI did not respond to requests for comment. It’s not clear whether xAI will be able to fully replace Anthropic, or how long that process would take. Claude was used in the Maduro raid, for example, through Anthropic’s partnership with Palantir. – Musk’s xAI, Pentagon reach deal to use Grok in classified systems