Google and Pentagon reportedly agree deal for ‘any lawful’ use of AI | The Verge

AINewsPolicyGoogle and Pentagon reportedly agree deal for ‘any lawful’ use of AIThe classified deal apparently doesn’t allow Google to veto how the government will use its AI models.The classified deal apparently doesn’t allow Google to veto how the government will use its AI models.by Jess WeatherbedApr 28, 2026, 11:09 AM UTCLinkShareGiftIllustration by Cath Virginia / The VergeJess Weatherbed is a news writer focused on creative industries, computing, and internet culture. Jess started her career at TechRadar, covering news and hardware reviews.Google has signed a classified deal that allows the US Department of Defense to use its AI models for “any lawful government purpose,” The Information reports. The agreement was reported less than a day after Google employees demanded CEO Sundar Pichai block the Pentagon from using its AI amid concerns that it would be used in “inhumane or extremely harmful ways.”If the agreement is confirmed, it would place Google alongside OpenAI and xAI, which have also made classified AI deals with the US government. Anthropic was also among that list until it was blacklisted by the Pentagon for refusing the Department of Defense’s demands to remove weapon and surveillance-related guardrails from its AI models.Citing a single anonymous source “with knowledge of the situation,” The Information reports that the deal states that both parties have agreed that the search giant’s AI systems shouldn’t be used for domestic mass surveillance or auton...