Pentagon deploys secure ChatGPT, Grok

The Pentagon has launched custom versions of OpenAI's ChatGPT and xAI's Grok, giving its 3 million civilian and military personnel access to generative AI tools. The new offerings, named ChatGPT Mil and Grok for Government, are now part of the GenAI.mil portal, a centralized and secure system launched last year.

GenAI.mil is designed to provide Department of Defense employees with access to commercial frontier AI models. A key feature is that it prevents sensitive government data from being sent through ordinary consumer channels. According to the Department of Defense, the official military versions are exempt from the data collection typical of consumer tech products.

The portal has already onboarded more than 1.7 million unique users from the department's total of 3 million personnel. These latest additions are part of a broader Pentagon effort to use AI tools to accelerate work and gain an operational edge while maintaining security.

Model Availability and Strategic Partnerships

The launch highlights the absence of Anthropic's Claude model from the Pentagon's roster. This follows a dispute with the frontier lab, which was labeled a supply-chain risk by the Trump administration. Anthropic is reportedly fighting that designation in court after it refused to grant the Pentagon unrestricted use of its AI tools and insisted on certain safety guardrails.

The Pentagon has struck deals with several other tech companies to boost its AI capabilities. These partners include Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Reflection AI.

Capabilities and Intended Uses

The two new models are positioned for different types of work within the defense establishment. ChatGPT Mil, developed under OpenAI's government program, will offer an experience familiar to commercial users.

The Defense Department states that ChatGPT Mil will support routine, unclassified work. Other features will be added over time.

In contrast, the Pentagon described Grok's potential in broader, more militaristic terms. A department press release, citing SpaceX's secure Starshield AI satellite network, said the tool would 'provide the warfighter with immediate productivity gains, stronger knowledge continuity and more secure and efficient collaboration.'

The department added that Grok would allow its military to execute missions faster and with greater precision across numerous operational contexts.

Portal Evolution and Future Plans

The GenAI.mil portal initially offered Google's Gemini model when it first launched.