The Big Story 

Pentagon says Grok used to launch missiles at Iran

The Pentagon artificial intelligence chief on Monday said Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot is tantamount to national security in a sworn statement that noted xAI’s technology has been used throughout the Iran war. 

© Evan Vucci, Associated Press file

Cameron Stanley, the chief digital and artificial intelligence officer for the Department of Defense, wrote that the chatbot “enabled U.S. forces to deploy over 2,000 munitions to 2,000 distinct targets within 96 hours during Operation Epic Fury, a testament to the greatly increased operational efficiency made possible by the Grok Gov Model.”

Stanley’s statements were used as evidence in efforts by the Trump administration to preserve the xAI data center near Memphis, Tenn., where the NAACP alleges the company is illegally polluting the air.

The Justice Department has asked the judge to throw out the case, citing the need for access to the Colossus 2 data center, which Stanley described as “vital” to national security missions, including targeting, intelligence, readiness and recruitment.

“The Grok Gov Model offers features unique to xAI that are found in no other frontier AI model,” Stanley added. 

AI use on the battlefield has been a key priority for the Pentagon under the Trump administration. 

The use of Grok comes after the Pentagon publicly clashed with AI firm Anthropic over safeguards over AI use in combat situations and banned its use from the military. Anthropic is fighting the move in court.

Read more in a full report at TheHill.com

Welcome to The Hill’s Technology newsletter, we’re Julia Shapero and Miranda Nazzaro — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley.

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Essential Reads 

How policy will be impacting the tech sector now and in the future:

Nvidia CEO: Society needs to change with advent of AI

The Refresh 

News we’ve flagged from the intersection of tech and other topics:

• Anthropic employees accuse Trump admin of targeting them (The New York Times)
• FTC lawsuit reveals how subscription networks evade app store enforcement (TechCrunch)

Crypto Corner 

Crypto spending pays off in Alabama runoff

© Greg Nash

Rep. Barry Moore (R-Ala.)’s win over former U.S. Navy SEAL Jared Hudson in Alabama’s primary GOP runoff marked another win for President Trump, but also a boon for the cryptocurrency industry. 

With Trump’s endorsement, Moore bested Hudson for the party nod Tuesday, despite some polling ahead of the race suggesting the outsider was in the lead to replace Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.)’s seat. 

The New York Times on Tuesday reported that a group tied to Fairshake, the leading crypto super PAC, had spent nearly $10 million on ads to help elect Moore, who owns crypto assets and has supported related legislation in Congress.  

Moore pushed back against criticisms that he’d been bought by crypto interests, arguing the industry respects his stance against federal government control of currency, 1819 News reported in April.  

The crypto industry has been ramping up its spending ahead of the midterms after spending tens of millions of dollars in 2024.

The Hill’s Julia Mueller and Caroline Vakil have more on Tuesday’s primaries at TheHill.com

Crypto Corner is a daily feature focused on digital currency and its outlook in Washington.

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