Grok AI Reportedly Used in U.S. Military Strikes on Iran, Court Filing Reveals

U.S. Government Reveals Use of Elon Musk’s Grok AI in Military Operations Against Iran

A legal filing reviewed by AFP has revealed that Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence system, Grok, has been used in U.S. military operations targeting Iran.

The June 15 court brief defends the use of gas turbines powering a large xAI data center owned by Musk’s company. The turbines are currently under environmental scrutiny in a lawsuit. The U.S. Department of Justice argued that shutting down the facility could harm “American national, economic, and energy security” by disrupting AI systems that support military operations.

According to the filing, Pentagon AI chief Cameron Stanley testified that Grok is already integrated into Project Maven, the U.S. military’s AI-assisted targeting program, which was previously powered by Anthropic’s Claude model.

Stanley’s statement claims that the system, referred to as Maven Smart Systems, allowed U.S. forces to deploy more than 2,000 munitions across 2,000 targets within 96 hours during an operation described as “Epic Fury.” He also highlighted improved efficiency achieved through what he called the “Grok Gov Model.”

Meanwhile, the NAACP has filed a lawsuit against xAI, accusing the company of operating multiple gas turbines without proper environmental permits, allegedly impacting predominantly Black neighborhoods. xAI has responded by stating that the turbines are temporary and mobile, and therefore not subject to the same regulations.

The report also notes a shift in Pentagon partnerships. In February, the U.S. government ended contracts with Anthropic after the company declined to permit its AI systems for fully automated strikes or large-scale surveillance of Americans. Following this, the Pentagon reportedly turned to other AI providers, including Google, OpenAI, and xAI.

Earlier concerns have also been raised within the tech sector, with hundreds of employees at Google reportedly urging the company not to involve its AI systems in classified military operations.

The U.S. military’s broader adoption of AI continues to evolve, with reports indicating that Claude was still being used in operations in Iran as recently as March.

Musk’s xAI has also seen major corporate restructuring, as it was merged with SpaceX earlier this year, which recently completed a historic IPO.