President Donald Trump issued a memo Friday calling on the U.S. military and national security agencies to accelerate their use of artificial intelligence (AI), while recognizing the need to protect civil liberties and maintain control over autonomous weapon systems.
The memo comes at a time of growing concern about AI in American society, whether it’s replacing human jobs or helping identify targets on the battlefield.
The Trump administration is working to unlock the potential of AI for the US military, while some military leaders and Pentagon contract companies are exercising caution and calling for safeguards.
Mr. Trump’s memo was addressed to much of his cabinet, including the secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security, as well as the Justice Secretary and the director of national intelligence.
The president is demanding an updated directive on autonomous weapons systems to account for the rapidly evolving capabilities of AI.
It orders the Department of Defense “to ensure the thoughtful adoption of AI systems that respect the chain of command and operational authorities.”
The current directive, issued in 2023 under the Biden administration, states that these weapon systems will be designed “to enable commanders and operators to exercise an appropriate level of human judgment in the use of force,” according to the Congressional Research Service.
Mr. Trump’s memo also restricts the use of AI to “censor free speech, incorporate ideological bias, or conduct unlawful surveillance against the American people.”
“The use of AI by national security services must always be consistent with the civil liberties of the United States and the protections afforded by the Constitution and by laws and regulations guaranteeing the privacy of American citizens,” the memo specifies.
The Department of Defense has already accelerated its use of AI in recent years. This technology can help reduce the time needed to identify and strike a target, while facilitating routine tasks of organizing equipment maintenance, supply chains and other logistics.
But concerns about protecting civil liberties and human control of autonomous weapons systems are attracting growing attention.
They are at the heart of a dispute that erupted this year as the Pentagon seeks to leverage the power of American technology companies to strengthen the military’s AI capabilities.
The Anthropic company wants to obtain guarantees in its contract that the army would not use its technology in fully autonomous weapons or for surveillance of the Americans. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stressed that the company must authorize any use that the Pentagon deems legal.
Anthropic sued after Mr. Trump attempted to block all federal agencies from using the company’s chatbot, Claude, and Mr. Hegseth sought to label the company a “chain risk.” Supply Chain,” a designation intended to protect national security systems from sabotage by foreign adversaries.
Concerns about the military use of AI arose during Israel’s war in Gaza and Lebanon, with American tech giants quietly helping Israel track its targets. But the number of civilians killed also skyrocketed, fueling fears that these tools contributed to the deaths of innocent people.
US military leaders who attended an annual special forces conference in Tampa, Florida, spoke about the benefits of AI as well as the need for human safeguards.
Adm. Frank Bradley, head of U.S. Special Operations Command, told attendees that troops “need to be very careful about how we come to employ (AI) and inspire it in the exercise of lethality.”
Mr. Bradley said he envisions a future where AI determines which targets to hit, but that “we, as human beings, need to be confident that […] it will only exercise violence where we want it.”
Ben Finley, The Associated Press
