US Military Used AI Tool in Historic Maduro Capture
The U.S. military used artificial intelligence in the raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, according to a new report.
Anthropic’s artificial-intelligence tool called Claude was used in the raid, according to The Wall Street Journal, which cited sources it did not name.
It was unclear what the tool was used for. The company’s rules forbid Claude from being used to facilitate violence, develop weapons, or conduct surveillance.
”We cannot comment on whether Claude, or any other AI model, was used for any specific operation, classified or otherwise,” an Anthropic representative said.
“Any use of Claude — whether in the private sector or across government — is required to comply with our Usage Policies, which govern how Claude can be deployed. We work closely with our partners to ensure compliance,” the representative said.
Anthropic’s AI tool was used along with Palantir Technologies products already used by the military and law enforcement, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The use of the AI solution comes as ChatGPT has been added as a tool for use by the military, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine.
Gregory Touhill, a retired Air Force brigadier general who is the director of cybersecurity at Carnegie Mellon’s Software Engineering Institute, said AI use has become important for defense applications.
Department of War announces deal with OpenAI to deploy ChatGPT to all Pentagon personnel.
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“I think it’s important for our Airmen today, we want our Airmen to be well prepared for the future, and the future is racing toward us now,” Touhill said.
“AI is a tool that our Airmen and our Guardians can use to obtain decisive capabilities in the cyber domain,” he added.
Touhill said he’s confident AI can help service members automate and eliminate tasks. But more importantly, AI can potentially free Airmen and Guardians from lesser tasks so they can apply more time to higher-order work.
In January, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said in a memo that the Pentagon will emphasize AI use.
“In the national security domain, AI-enabled warfare and AI-enabled capability development will re-define the character of military affairs over the next decade,” the memo said.
“This transformation is a race — fueled by the accelerating pace of commercial AI innovation coming out of America’s private sector. The United States Military must build on its lead over our adversaries in integrating this technology, established during President Trump’s first term, to make our Warfighters more lethal and efficient,” the memo continued.
In the memo, Hegseth directed the Pentagon “to accelerate America’s Military AI Dominance by becoming an ‘AI-first’ warfighting force across all components, from front to back.”
“We must put aside legacy approaches to combat and ensure we use this disruptive technology to compound the lethality of our military,” Hegseth wrote.
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