The Pentagon has selected four companies to collaborate with in expanding the application of AI in defense.

The Pentagon has selected four companies—Google, Anthropic, OpenAI, and xAI (an AI startup owned by billionaire Elon Musk)—to sign contracts worth up to $800 million.

The Pentagon has just announced the selection of four leading technology companies to expand the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the defense sector, with a total contract value of up to $800 million.

Defense News, a website specializing in defense technology, reported on July 15th, citing an announcement from the Pentagon's Office of Digital and AI, that the four selected companies are Google, Anthropic, OpenAI, and xAI (an AI startup owned by billionaire Elon Musk).

Each company will receive contracts worth up to $200 million. These companies will support the U.S. Department of Defense in developing agent AI systems for key national security missions.

According to experts, agent AI is an advanced AI technology that uses complex reasoning abilities to handle more complex tasks, far exceeding the capabilities of current generative AI.

More specifically, this is a type of AI that is autonomous, capable of making its own decisions and taking action to achieve set goals, instead of simply reacting to commands or predefined rules like traditional AI systems.

This AI technology can independently plan, analyze situations, and adjust its behavior to optimize results, and can even work with other AI systems to achieve goals.

In a statement, Doug Matty, head of the office, emphasized that this move aims to accelerate the use of advanced AI in combat missions as well as intelligence and information systems operations.

Although details of specific missions have not yet been released, the Pentagon has identified priority areas including intelligence analysis, operational planning, logistics management, and data collection.

Following the Pentagon's announcement, billionaire Elon Musk's xAI company also stated that it had signed an agreement to provide services to the US Department of Defense. Accordingly, xAI's AI chatbot, named Grok (launched in late 2023 and frequently attracting attention for its "shocking" statements), will provide services to the US government under the name "Grok for Government."

The contract between xAI and the US Department of Defense was signed amidst intense disputes between billionaire Elon Musk and President Donald Trump.

Currently, government and defense activities are seen as potential growth drivers for major AI companies. Meta has partnered with defense technology startup Anduril to develop virtual reality glasses for the military and law enforcement agencies.

Meanwhile, OpenAI secured a contract to provide services to the US military last June.

(VNA/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/lau-nam-goc-chon-4-cong-ty-de-hop-tac-mo-rong-ung-dung-ai-trong-quoc-phong-post1049993.vnp