Thought Leadership
The US Department of Defense has awarded the AI company OpenAI a contract worth 200 million US dollars.
The aim is to develop prototypes for highly developed AI systems that are to be used in military and organizational areas.
Artificial intelligence in the service of national security
According to the Pentagon, the project aims to develop “frontier AI” capabilities, i.e. advanced AI solutions that can address critical security challenges. The focus of the work is on testing innovative technologies both in the area of combat management and in the administrative structures of the armed forces.
Implementation is to take place mainly in the greater Washington area and be completed by July 2026.
In parallel to this contract signing, several prominent figures from the tech industry have joined the US Army Reserves. Among them is Kevin Weil, Head of Product at OpenAI, who is now part of the Executive Innovation Corps – a new initiative to modernize military technologies.
Other members of this group are Andrew Bosworth (CTO of Meta), Shyam Sankar (CTO of Palantir) and Bob McGrew, former Head of Research at OpenAI. This group of experts will support targeted innovation projects to accelerate the application of technological solutions to complex military challenges.
Political framework conditions: Exception for defense
In April, the White House published new guidelines for dealing with artificial intelligence. These stipulate that the US government authorities should ensure fair competitive conditions in the national AI market. However, defense and national security applications are exempt from these rules.
Regardless of the collaboration with the Pentagon, OpenAI recently reported strong sales growth. With a projected annual turnover of around 10 billion US dollars (as of June), the company is one of the frontrunners in the industry. Back in March, OpenAI announced a new financing round in which up to 40 billion US dollars are to be raised. The company was valued at around 300 billion US dollars.
At the end of March, OpenAI had around 500 million weekly users worldwide.
