--- title: "OpenAI Axes Ban on Military Contracts, Reveals Deal With Pentagon" description: "After removing mentions the \"military and warfare\" from its usage policies page, OpenAI has spoken out about working with the military." date: "2024-01-18" modified: "2024-01-18" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/openai-military-deal-pentagon" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Military" - "OpenAI" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "artificial intelligence" - "military" - "OpenAI" - "Pentagon" - "the digest" --- # OpenAI Axes Ban on Military Contracts, Reveals Deal With Pentagon ![After removing mentions the "military and warfare" from its usage policies page, OpenAI has spoken out about working with the military.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## AI Warfare After [being caught]() quietly removing mentions of a ban on "military and warfare" from its [usage policies page](), OpenAI is working with the Pentagon. As [*Bloomberg* reports](), the company confirmed that it's working with the US Defense Department on open-source cybersecurity software and is also looking into ways to prevent veteran suicide with its tech. OpenAI VP of global affairs Anna Makanju revealed the company's reversal in its willingness to work with the military during a *Bloomberg* talk at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week. "Because we previously had what was essentially a blanket prohibition on military, many people thought that would prohibit many of these use cases, which people think are very much aligned with what we want to see in the world," she said, as quoted by *Bloomberg*. However, OpenAI is keeping a ban in place for having its tech being used to develop weapons or harm people. ## Weapons Ban The news comes after [*The Intercept* noticed]() that OpenAI quietly yanked mentions of a ban on "military and warfare" from its "usage policies" last week. According to the revised webpage, the changes are meant to make the policies "clearer" and "more readable." "Any use of our technology, including by the military, to ‘\[develop\] or \[use\] weapons, \[injure\] others or \[destroy\] property, or \[engage\] in unauthorized activities that violate the security of any service or system,’ is disallowed," OpenAI spokesperson Niko Felix told *The Intercept*. It's an especially notable change considering OpenAI's largest investor, Microsoft, already has [several high-profile contracts]() with the US military in place. OpenAI has also revealed it's collaborating with the US Defense Advanced Research Agency. "We are already working with DARPA to spur the creation of new cybersecurity tools to secure open source software that critical infrastructure and industry depend on," an OpenAI spokesperson [told *The Register*](). "It was not clear whether these beneficial use cases would have been allowed under 'military' in our previous policies," they added. "So the goal with our policy update is to provide clarity and the ability to have these discussions." Critics of the change are warning OpenAI's revised policies could still technically allow for problematic uses of its AI technologies in war zones. "Given the use of AI systems in the targeting of civilians in Gaza, it’s a notable moment to make the decision to remove the words ‘military and warfare’ from OpenAI’s permissible use policy," Sarah Myers West, managing director of the AI Now Institute, told *The Intercept*. "The language that is in the policy remains vague and raises questions about how OpenAI intends to approach enforcement." **More on OpenAI:** *[Sam Altman Says Human-Tier AI Is Coming Soon]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()