The Department of Defense announced versions of OpenAI’s ChatGPT and xAI’s Grok, giving 3 million civilians and military members access to generative AI tools tailored to “warfighter needs.”
ChatGPT Mil and Grok for Government, custom versions of popular consumer-generated AI tools, are now part of GenAI.mil, a centralized, secure portal launched last year.
GenAI.mil, which powered Google Gemini during its initial launch, is designed to give Department of Defense personnel access to commercial frontier AI models without sending sensitive government data through normal consumer channels. Notably, the official military version is exempt from data collection, which is difficult to avoid in consumer technology products.
And according to the Department of Defense, generative AI portals are proving popular. According to the ministry, GenAI.mil has already onboarded more than 1.7 million unique users out of the ministry’s 3 million employees.
These latest additions are part of the Department of Defense’s broader efforts to use AI tools to accelerate work and give the Department an edge without sacrificing security. They also highlight the absence of Anthropic’s Claude model and the Department of Defense’s efforts to work with other companies after the conflict with Frontier Labs. Anthropic was labeled a supply chain risk by the Trump administration after refusing to allow the Pentagon to allow unrestricted use of its AI tools, instead insisting on certain safety guardrails, and is currently fighting a lawsuit in court.
Born out of the company’s OpenAI for Government program, ChatGPT Mil provides a familiar experience for commercial ChatGPT users. The tool focuses on chats, files, projects, and custom GPT, according to the Department of Defense. The tool also supports document-heavy, uncategorized, and routine tasks such as administrative tasks, logistics, planning, and policy. Other features will be added over time.
The Department of Defense has positioned Grok’s capabilities and potential uses in a broader military context.
According to a Pentagon press release, “Starshield AI’s Grok for Government provides warfighters with immediate productivity gains, stronger continuity of knowledge, and safer, more efficient collaboration.” (SpaceX’s Starshield AI is a secure satellite network using the company’s existing Starlink technology.)
The ministry added that Grok will enable the military to “accomplish missions faster and more accurately across numerous operational situations, from market research analysis for acquisition professionals to supply chain management for logistics providers.”
The Department of Defense has contracted with a number of other technology companies to enhance its AI capabilities, including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Reflection AI.
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