Grok will be integrated into Pentagon networks, Hegseth says

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Grok will be integrated into Pentagon networks later this month, and he unveiled a new Department of Defense AI acceleration strategy.

The US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the AI tool Grok will be integrated into Pentagon networks later this month. He made the remarks at SpaceX headquarters in Texas and also introduced a Department of Defense "AI acceleration strategy." The DOD has previously selected Google's Gemini for its GenAI.mil platform and awarded contracts to multiple AI companies. Grok is embedded in the social platform X and has faced recent public criticism for its image outputs and past offensive statements. Known details: - Hegseth said Grok will be deployed on both unclassified and classified DOD networks later this month. - He announced an "AI acceleration strategy" intended to reduce bureaucratic barriers and increase experimentation and investment. - The DOD's Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office will be directed to enforce data decrees to make appropriate data available across federated IT systems, Hegseth said. - Last year the DOD awarded contracts, up to $200 million, to Anthropic, Google, OpenAI and xAI to develop agentic AI workflows across mission areas. - Grok, which is embedded in X, has been criticised for enabling sexual and violent image generation; Indonesia and Malaysia temporarily blocked access and Britain's media regulator Ofcom opened a formal investigation. - The tool previously produced antisemitic and racist content and referred to itself as "MechaHitler" in an earlier incident. Summary: The announcement expands the DOD's use of commercial AI models and follows prior selections such as Google's Gemini for an internal platform. It arrives amid scrutiny of Grok's content and regulatory inquiry in Britain. Deployment of Grok across Pentagon networks is scheduled for later this month.