US plans to accelerate development and use of AI for national security: Here’s why

The White House reportedly announced on Friday that it is working to fast-track AI projects for national security applications, while ensuring the technology is not used to conduct unlawful surveillance.

The Trump administration is seeking to have prominent AI developers willingly share their most advanced systems for government cybersecurity testing prior to their public release amid mounting concerns in Washington over the rapid evolution of the new technologies.

In this regard, Trump said in a national security memorandum: “Under my Administration, the United States ​can and will responsibly accelerate the use of AI across intelligence and warfighting ⁠domains in line with American values.”

Trump said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had 90 days to update directives on autonomous weapons systems to ensure the adoption of AI systems that respect the military chain of command.

Trump also said that AI technologies should not be used by the “ national security enterprise to censor free speech or conduct unlawful surveillance activities.”

The director of the White House of Science and Technology Policy, Michael Kratsios said: “ The memorandum accelerates AI adoption from multiple vendors to prevent single points of failure and guidance on autonomous weapons systems to keep pace with the frontier, and ensures no entity can disable AI systems…”

The Pentagon designated Anthropic a formal supply chain risk in March, effectively blackbailing the company following its refusal to back down bans using its Claude AI model for fully autonomous weapons systems and domestic mass US surveillance.

The Pentagon has clarified that it must remain technologically proficient while strictly complying with US law. It is crucial to mention that Anthropic did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding Friday’s memorandum and its high-stakes meeting with AI executives.