Target: Roger Wicker, Chair of U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services
Goal: Enact necessary safety measures for AI usage in Pentagon databases.
Elon Musk’s Grok AI system has spent much of its life mired in controversy. Several weeks ago, users reported that the chatbot readily spewed out Nazi ideology. More recently, in a scandal that has drawn the attention and ire of nations around the world, the chatbot has been accused of creating non-consensual sexually explicit deepfake images, including images of children. Now, the leader of the Department of Defense has given this suspect technology the keys to America’s top military secrets and operations.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, mired in many controversies himself, recently proclaimed, “Very soon we will have the world’s leading AI models on every unclassified and classified network throughout our department” and that all data would be available for “AI exploitation.” Exploitation is indeed an appropriate word, as the secretary has made clear that this technology – chosen for its flouting of DEI and ethical principles – will have virtually no guardrails and no “ideological constraints.” Therefore, Grok will be fed all the Pentagon’s vast intelligence network. In addition, the system will be trained for “autonomous” combat operations and for military strategy at every level, including “enabled battle management and decision support, from campaign planning to kill chain execution.”
Meanwhile, officials who have continuously stressed the need for caution and for strict regulations – as was once planned – are summarily ignored. Sign the petition below to demand legislators ensure these essential safeguards do not fall by the wayside.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Senator Wicker,
What could possibly go wrong with taking human input out of top-tier military decision-making and instead designating an ethically challenged chatbot as the battlefield commander? America is about to find out, as the Department of Defense has just put the highly concerning Grok AI back in the spotlight…and right at the center of U.S. military operations. Giving a system notorious for its Nazi propaganda and illegal pornography unfettered access to America’s entire – and largely classified – military database is alarming enough. Yet now, the Secretary of Defense appears intent on “exploiting” this information to “train” AI for battlefield operations, up to and including “kill chain execution.”
Are you truly prepared to let this technology lead you through an increasingly destabilized world marked by conflict and the need for competent crisis management? Don’t throw away the suggested regulatory framework for AI in military operations simply because this framework came from a prior administration. As the chair of the armed services committee, it is your obligation and duty to protect active-duty service members and civilians from any threat, human or otherwise. Speak out against Grok, and speak up for the guardrails that are absolutely critical to prevent tech-engineered tragedies.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Lucas Andrade
