On last June the US Department of Defense awarded OpenAI a $200m contract to put generative artificial intelligence (AI) to work for the US military.
The San Francisco-based company will « develop prototype frontier AI capabilities to address critical national security challenges in both warfighting and enterprise domains », according to the defense department’s posting of awarded contracts.
The program with the defense department is the first partnership under the startup’s initiative to put AI to work in governments, according to OpenAI. The company plans to show how cutting-edge AI can vastly improve administrative operations such as how service members get healthcare and also cyber defenses, according to a blog post.
The startup claims that all use of AI for the military will be consistent with OpenAI usage guidelines, which are determined by OpenAI itself.
The Pentagon explored the AI software for research, but the issue is the first by a combatant command whose mission is one of killing.
Less than a year after OpenAI quietly signaled it wanted to do business with the Pentagon, a procurement document obtained by « The Intercept »[1] shows U.S. Africa Command, or AFRICOM, believes access to OpenAI’s technology is « essential » for its mission.
The September 30, 2024 document lays out AFRICOM’s rationale for buying cloud computing services directly from Microsoft as part of its $9 billion « Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability contract », rather than seeking another provider on the open market.
« The USAFRICOM operates in a dynamic and evolving environment where IT plays a critical role in achieving mission objectives, » the document reads, including « its vital mission in support of our African Mission Partners [and] USAFRICOM joint exercises. »
The document, labeled Controlled Unclassified Information, is marked as FEDCON, indicating it is not meant to be distributed beyond government or contractors. It shows AFRICOM’s request was approved by the Defense Information Systems Agency. While the price of the purchase is redacted, the approval document notes its value is less than $15 million.
Like the rest of the Department of Defense, AFRICOM — which oversees the Pentagon’s operations across Africa, including local military cooperation with U.S. allies there — has an increasing appetite for cloud computing. The Defense Department already purchases[2] cloud computing access from Microsoft via the « Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability project ». This new document reflects AFRICOM’s desire to bypass contracting red tape and buy immediately Microsoft Azure cloud services, including OpenAI software, without considering other vendors. AFRICOM states that the « ability to support advanced AI/ML workloads is crucial. This includes services for search, natural language processing, [machine learning], and unified analytics for data processing. »
And according to AFRICOM, Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform, which includes a suite of tools provided by OpenAI, is the only cloud provider capable of meeting its needs.
[1] « OpenAI Quietly Deletes Ban on Using ChatGPT for “Military and Warfare » The Pentagon has its eye on the leading AI company, which this week softened its ban on military use. » By Sam Biddle. January 12 2024, 2:07 p.m. https://theintercept.com/2024/01/12/open-ai-military-ban-chatgpt/
[2] « Militaries, Intelligence Agencies, and Law Enforcement Dominate » U.S. and U.K. Government Purchasing from U.S. Tech Giants https://techinquiry.org/docs/InternationalCloud.pdf