The United States government has disclosed that Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot developed by Elon Musk’s company xAI, was used in military operations targeting Iran, according to a legal filing reviewed by AFP.
The revelation emerged in a 15 June court brief submitted by the US Department of Justice as part of its defence of gas turbines powering a major xAI data centre. The facility is currently facing an environmental lawsuit over alleged violations of the Clean Air Act.
In the filing, federal authorities argued that the lawsuit could undermine critical national interests by disrupting infrastructure supporting advanced artificial intelligence systems. The government stated that shutting down the power supply could negatively affect AI innovation that contributes to military, economic and energy security.
As part of its argument, the Justice Department included testimony from Pentagon AI chief Cameron Stanley. In a sworn statement, Stanley confirmed that Grok has been integrated into Project Maven, the US military’s AI-assisted targeting initiative.
According to the testimony, Maven Smart Systems enabled US forces to deploy more than 2,000 munitions against 2,000 separate targets within 96 hours during Operation Epic Fury. Stanley highlighted the contribution of Grok and praised what he described as the enhanced operational efficiency provided by the “Grok Gov Model.”
The lawsuit against xAI was filed by the NAACP, which alleges that the company has been operating dozens of turbines without proper permits, causing pollution in predominantly Black communities. xAI maintains that the turbines are temporary and mobile and therefore exempt from the regulations cited in the case.
The disclosure comes amid growing debate over the role of artificial intelligence in warfare. Earlier this year, the US government ended contracts with Anthropic after the company refused to permit its AI systems to be used for fully automated strikes or mass surveillance. The Pentagon subsequently expanded cooperation with other AI firms, including xAI, OpenAI and Google.
Despite ongoing efforts to integrate AI into military operations, the transition remains gradual. Government officials acknowledged in March that Anthropic’s Claude model was still being used during aspects of the conflict involving Iran.
Elon Musk, a close ally of President Donald Trump, merged xAI with SpaceX in February. SpaceX later completed a record-breaking public offering on 12 June, further cementing Musk’s influence across both the technology and defence sectors.
