Pentagon signs $800 million contract with 4 AI companies

VHO - 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 USD.

The Pentagon in Washington DC, USA. Photo: THX/TTXVN

Defense News - a website specializing in defense technology - on July 15 quoted the announcement of the Pentagon's Digital and AI Office saying that the four selected companies include Google, Anthropic, OpenAI and xAI (an AI startup owned by billionaire Elon Musk). Each company will receive a contract worth up to 200 million USD. These companies will support the US 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 capabilities to handle more complex tasks, far beyond the capabilities of current generative AI. More specifically, this is a type of AI that is capable of autonomy, making decisions and taking actions to achieve set goals, instead of just responding to commands or pre-determined rules like traditional AI systems. This AI technology can plan, analyze situations and adjust behavior to optimize results, and can even work with other AI systems to achieve goals.

In a statement, Mr. Doug Matty - head of the Office - emphasized that this step is to accelerate the use of advanced AI in combat missions as well as intelligence systems and information system operations.

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

After the Pentagon made the above announcement, billionaire Elon Musk's xAI company also said 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 often 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 in the context of billionaire Elon Musk and President Donald Trump being embroiled in fierce disputes.

Government and defense are seen as potential growth drivers for major AI companies. Meta has partnered with defense tech startup Anduril to develop virtual reality glasses for the military and law enforcement, while OpenAI won a contract to provide services to the U.S. Army in June.

According to NGUYEN HA (VNA)/Tin Tuc and Dan Toc Newspaper

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