Hegset emphasized the need to accelerate and optimize technological innovations in the armed forces. He noted that the Pentagon possesses "battle-tested operational data collected over two decades of military and intelligence operations."
"Artificial intelligence is only as good as the quality of the data it receives. We guarantee its availability," the minister added.
According to Hegset, he aims to create "responsible AI systems" at the Pentagon and promised to "cut through the thicket of bureaucracy and remove the unnecessary — preferably with a chainsaw."
"We must ensure the dominance of American military AI so that no adversary can use similar technologies, threatening our national security or citizens," he stressed.
Despite Recent Scandals
This statement came just a few days after Grok became the subject of a new scandal due to the use of a tool for generating sexual content. Malaysia and Indonesia blocked access to the chatbot, while regulators from the EU, UK, Brazil, and India are demanding an investigation into its role in the spread of deepfakes.
Analysts from the British organization Internet Watch Foundation discovered "criminal images" of children aged 11 to 13, which were allegedly created using Grok.
Previously, the chatbot had also faced criticism for spreading fake and misleading information. In December, Grok provided incorrect data about a mass shooting on Bondi Beach in Australia. When asked about a video where passerby Ahmed al-Ahmed confronted the shooter, the AI responded:
"It seems to be an old viral clip where a man climbs a palm tree in a parking lot, possibly to trim it. As a result, a branch fell on a damaged car. A search through various sources did not yield confirmed data about the location, date, and injuries. It may be a staged event; authenticity is unverified."
In July, users noticed that the neural network tended to rely on Elon Musk's opinions when generating responses, including topics related to the conflict between Israel and Palestine, abortion, and immigration legislation. This led to speculation that the chatbot was tuned to reflect Musk's political views.
The billionaire previously stated that his startup plans to rewrite "all human knowledge" to train a new version of Grok, as the current data contains "too much garbage." Subsequently, Grokipedia emerged — an AI-based online encyclopedia focused on truth.
It is worth noting that in November, users pointed out the bias of Grok 4.1, which significantly overestimated Musk's capabilities.
