The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has entered into a pilot project contract with the artificial intelligence company OpenAI worth up to $200 million, aiming to develop "cutting-edge artificial intelligence" capabilities. However, the specific details of the collaboration remain unclear. This news was disclosed in the Department of Defense's new contract announcement on Monday. OpenAI will immediately receive $2 million from the contract funds, with the remaining amount to be paid later.

Human-Machine Collaboration

Image source note: The image is generated by AI, and the image authorization service provider is Midjourney.

According to the Department of Defense's announcement, this contract will be used to develop prototype cutting-edge artificial intelligence capabilities to address critical challenges in national security, including needs in both combat and enterprise domains. OpenAI mentioned in a blog post that this collaboration will explore how to utilize cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology to improve the administration and services of the Department of Defense. The mentioned outcomes include helping military personnel access medical services and strengthen cyber defense capabilities.

It is noteworthy that OpenAI's blog did not mention the term "war," but emphasized that the use cases must comply with OpenAI's usage policies and guidelines. These policies clearly prohibit the use of OpenAI technology for "developing or using weapons." In the past, OpenAI had completely banned applications related to "military and war," but in January, it modified its wording to only require users not to use its services to harm themselves or others. It is currently unclear whether these legal terms apply to government users, and we have requested clarification from OpenAI.

Meanwhile, the signing of this contract coincides with Kevin Weil, Chief Product Officer of OpenAI, and Bob McGrew, former Chief Revenue Officer, being officially appointed as lieutenant colonels in the U.S. Army Reserve. They are joining a newly formed unit called the 201st Division – the Execution Innovation Corps, which provides consulting on artificial intelligence to the Pentagon. Also joining them are the CTOs of Palantir and Meta, all members of the newly established Execution Innovation Corps.

OpenAI has previously collaborated with defense contractor Anduril, founded by Palmer Luckey, co-founder of Oculus. Recently, Meta and Anduril have launched a new military cooperation plan to develop augmented reality technology for soldiers, as Microsoft has abandoned a similar project.

Key Points:

🌐 ** Contract Amount **: The contract between the U.S. Department of Defense and OpenAI amounts to $200 million, with an initial payment of $2 million.

🛡️ ** Development Content **: The project will develop "cutting-edge artificial intelligence" capabilities to address important challenges in national security.

👨‍✈️ ** Leadership Participation **: OpenAI executives have just been appointed as lieutenant colonels in the U.S. Army Reserve and are participating in the new innovation corps.