AI Companies Eye Lucrative Military Contracts Amid Pentagon's $15B Bid

Silicon Valley AI companies, including Meta, Google, and OpenAI, are increasingly pursuing military contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to offset the high costs of developing generative AI technologies. This shift marks a departure from previous hesitations about defense work, driven by the potential for substantial long-term financial rewards. The DoD is exploring AI applications for data management, cybersecurity, and autonomous systems, with AI now considered a critical technology for future conflicts. Despite ethical concerns, the changing political landscape and economic pressures are making defense contracts more attractive to tech firms.