US Secretary of War Hegseth announced Monday January 12, 2026 that Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence chatbot Grok will be integrated into Pentagon classified systems and will join Google’s generative AI engine in operating within the Pentagon’s infrastructure.
The current administration’s aggressive embrace of developing AI technology contrasts sharply with former President Joe Biden administration’s cautious approach, which emphasized safeguards and responsible-use guidelines.
The Biden administration enacted a framework in 2024 directing national security agencies to expand AI use while prohibiting certain applications, including systems that would violate civil rights or automate nuclear weapons deployment.
The announcement comes days after Grok drew international criticism for generating highly sexualized deepfake images without user consent and publishing them on Musk’s X social media platform. Content analysis firm Copyleaks reported that Grok is generating “roughly one nonconsensual sexualized image per minute.”
The European Commission, Ireland, the UK’s independent online safety watchdog Ofcom have each launched formal investigations, citing “deeply concerning reports” of the chatbot creating sexualized images of women, girls and children. Malaysia and Indonesia have blocked the platform entirely.
Sources:
Adeola Adeosun, Newsweek: Hegseth Announces Grok Access to Classified Pentagon Networks https://www.newsweek.com/hegseth-announces-grok-access-to-classified-pentagon-networks-11349020
RTE: Gardaí investigate 200 reports into Grok-generated images https://www.rte.ie/news/2026/0114/1553051-committee-media-grok/