Google expands Pentagon partnership, deploying Gemini AI agents to 3 million military employees

Google to Provide Pentagon With AI Agents for Unclassified Work

The new feature will allow civilian and military personnel to build AI agents using natural language, with Google initially rolling out eight ready-made agents to focus on tasks such as summarizing meeting notes and creating budgets. Alphabet Inc.'s Google is introducing artificial intelligence agents across the Pentagon's three million-strong workforce to automate routine jobs, according to a senior defense official. Google's Gemini AI agents, which can undertake work independently on behalf of a user who sets them tasks, will initially operate on unclassified networks, said Emil Michael, the under secretary of defense for research and engineering. "We're starting with unclassified because that's where most of the users are, and then we'll get to classified and top secret," Michael said in an interview, adding that talks with Google over using the agents on the classified cloud are underway. "I have high confidence they're going to be a great partner on all networks." The new feature will allow civilian and military personnel at the Defense Department to build AI agents using natural language, Google Vice President Jim Kelly said in a blog post Tuesday. A Google Cloud spokesperson didn't respond to a request for comment about whether it is negotiating to put AI agents on the classified cloud. The military's expanding use of AI is fueling controversy at many of the cutting-edge American companies developing the technology. In the Iran war, the US has used AI to help identify targets and speed processes, allowing for the unprecedented intensity of the bombing campaign. The Pentagon has been bringing online more products from the likes of OpenAI and Google as part of a push to speed AI adoption in the military. That effort triggered its escalating feud with Anthropic PBC, which sought guardrails on using its technology for domestic surveillance and in fully autonomous weapons. In response, the Defense Department labeled the company a supply-chain risk last week. Anthropic is suing the government over the designation, which is typically reserved for companies from countries the US views as adversaries. Michael, who led negotiations with Anthropic, said the issue wouldn't be resolved through the courts and that the Pentagon was now "moving on." Until recently, Anthropic provided the only AI system that could operate in the Pentagon's classified cloud. The Defense Department has in recent weeks struck deals with OpenAI and xAI to operate on restricted networks, and Michael touted its expanding AI cooperation with Google. Google has in the past faced internal criticism over its ties with the Defense Department. In 2018, thousands of Google employees protested the company's involvement in Project Maven, a Pentagon effort to develop AI to analyze video feeds taken in America's overseas drone wars. The backlash led Google to not renew its contract for the program. Google later dropped some prohibitions on working with the military. Michael said the company is a "trusted" and "supportive" partner. Get the Tech Newsletter bundle. Get the Tech Newsletter bundle. Get the Tech Newsletter bundle. Bloomberg's subscriber-only tech newsletters, and full access to all the articles they feature. Bloomberg's subscriber-only tech newsletters, and full access to all the articles they feature. Bloomberg's subscriber-only tech newsletters, and full access to all the articles they feature. Bloomberg may send me offers and promotions. Plus Signed UpPlus Sign UpPlus Sign Up By submitting my information, I agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Initially, Google will roll out eight ready-made agents, some of which will focus on automating jobs such as summarizing meeting notes, creating budgets and checking proposed actions against the tenets of the national defense strategy, according to Michael. Some AI agents on the unclassified network could have operational impact, helping with planning and resourcing estimates for military tasks and operations, according to briefing notes provided by a Pentagon spokesperson. Users can also design their own digital assistants to automate repetitive, multi-step administrative tasks without needing to know any code, according to the Google blog post. Michael said training, guidance and policies could help alleviate the potential risks associated with introducing AI into the workforce, such as when agents magnify or mask errors. "It saves you a lot of time in the middle, but you have to review at the end to make sure there's no hallucinations," he said, adding that the Pentagon should expand AI usage. "When I got here and took over the AI portfolio in August I was somewhat shocked that we didn't have the basic AI capabilities that most people, consumers around the world have now." Google's AI chatbot accessible through the GenAI.mil portal has been used by 1.2 million Defense Department employees for unclassified work since it was launched in December. It will offer Gemini agents from Tuesday. Defense personnel have run 40 million unique prompts and uploaded more than four million documents, according to a Pentagon spokesperson. However, training - which Michael said was critical for preventing errors - far lags usage. Only 26,000 people have been trained in how to use AI since December and future sessions run by the Defense Department are fully booked, according to the spokesperson. The AI portal is already streamlining planning for large-scale military simulations, according to Kenneth Harvey, the director for the Mission Training Complex at Fort Bragg and the Army's rapid-reaction 18th Airborne Corps. Harvey, who has been experimenting with the AI platform for a couple of months, said the process of designing military exercises for as many as 50,000 simulated soldiers in which US forces would help defend a Baltic country took his nine-person staff six months. It took six weeks to plan a similar exercise scenario focused on US Southern Command using the AI portal, Harvey said, adding "human eyes vetted every word."

Google to Provide Pentagon with Gemini-powered AI agents

Google is rolling out Gemini AI agents to the Department of Defense's more than 3 million civilian and military employees, . The agents will initially operate on unclassified networks, with talks underway to expand them to classified and top-secret systems, according to Emil Michael, the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. Eight pre-built agents will automate tasks like summarizing meeting notes, building budgets and checking proposed actions against the national defense strategy. Google Vice President Jim Kelly said in a on Tuesday that Defense Department personnel can also create custom agents using natural language. Google's AI chatbot, accessible through the Pentagon's GenAI.mil portal, has been used by 1.2 million Defense Department employees for unclassified work since December, with personnel running 40 million unique prompts and uploading more than 4 million documents. Training has reportedly not kept pace with adoption, however, as only 26,000 people have completed AI training since December, but future sessions are fully booked, something that suggests more employees are getting on board. The expansion comes as the Pentagon rapidly broadens its AI partnerships after its , which refused to remove guardrails against domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons from its technology. The Pentagon has since classified the American AI company as a "supply chain risk," which Anthropic will . Roughly 900 Google and 100 OpenAI employees have since signed an urging their employers to hold firm on the same guardrails. Google its "AI Principles" regarding these exact uses in early February. The Department of Defense has since struck deals with and for restricted networks. Google itself faced internal backlash over Pentagon work in 2018 when thousands of employees protested , a program that used AI to analyze drone video feeds. It did not renew that contract but has since loosened its restrictions on military work.

Google deepens Pentagon AI push after Anthropic sues Trump administration

People walk near a sign outside of Google headquarters in Mountain View, California. A day after Anthropic sued the Trump administration for designating the artificial intelligence company a supply chain risk, Google is deepening its relationship with the Defense Department and expanding the role of its Gemini AI models inside the military bureaucracy. On Tuesday, Google said it will introduce a feature that lets civilian and military personnel build custom AI agents for unclassified work on GenAI.mil, the Pentagon's enterprise AI portal. The DOD's workforce of more than 3 million people will now be able to use a no-code or low-code tool called Agent Designer to create their own digital assistants for repetitive administrative tasks. Google said that those agents can help with work such as drafting meeting notes, creating action items, and breaking large projects into step-by-step plans. They will initially run on unclassified networks, but talks are reportedly already underway about expanding them to classified and top-secret environments. Emil Michael, the DOD's technology chief, told Bloomberg he has "high confidence" Google will be "a great partner on all networks." Michael also told Bloomberg the Pentagon was "moving on" from its dispute with Anthropic and that the issue would not be resolved through the courts. On Thursday, Anthropic confirmed that it had officially been designated a supply chain risk, an extraordinary move that's historically been reserved for foreign adversaries. In its legal complaint on Monday, Anthropic said the government's actions are "unprecedented and unlawful," and claimed they are "harming Anthropic irreparably." Anthropic was booted for refusing to allow the DOD to use its technology for autonomous weapons or domestic surveillance. Until recently, Anthropic had been the only AI provider operating inside the Pentagon's classified cloud. But the Defense Department has added OpenAI and Elon Musk's xAI to restricted networks, while also expanding cooperation with Google. The rollout also lands at a moment of rising tension inside the tech industry over the military's use of AI. Google AI chief Jeff Dean, along with a couple dozen other employees from OpenAI and Google, signed onto an amicus brief backing Anthropic in its court battle against the Pentagon. Dean had previously expressed sympathy with some internal concerns about military AI and surveillance after employees were circulating letters calling for clearer limits on how their employer works with the military.

Google expands Gemini DoD partnership with Gem-like agents for unclassified projects

Google's Gemini AI model will start incorporating specialized AI agents into the Department of Defense's operations. For the time being, it will be limited to unclassified applications. That may soon change. In an announcement about the new rollout, Google says it's expanding its partnership with the DoD. Google's models have been available to over three million government employees for unclassified applications, though it announced that it would begin making a new feature called "Agent Designer" available. While Google doesn't outright call this feature "Gems," it seems to resemble the model customization tool in Google's user-facing AI suite. Government employees will gain access to a simple AI builder that lets them create their own custom agents. The platform is advertised as "no-/low-code," so natural conversation can be used to designate custom models for repetitive administrative tasks. While the program is rolling out to over three million users, Google notes that over one million unique users have taken advantage of GenAI.mil to accomplish their work. So far, these include document creation, reviews, and "improving daily workflows." Gemini's AI agent tool for the Department of Defense will launch with eight agents ready to use. According to Emil Michael, the under secretary of defense for research and engineering, using Google's AI agents for classified applications is not out of the picture (via Bloomberg). The Department of Defense and Google are currently in talks to discuss what Gemini for classified material would look like. We're starting with unclassified because that's where most of the users are, and then we'll get to classified and top secret. I have high confidence they're going to be a great partner on all networks. This comes as the DoD/DoW recently came into partnership with OpenAI, ousting Anthropic due to concerns over red-line safety measures for citizens. OpenAI believes its safety measures are satisfactory, and the recent partnership with Google shows that the company behind Gemini is willing to work with the DoD, as well. Anthropic has since sued the US government, stating that its actions in designating the company a "supply chain risk" are "unprecedented and unlawful."

Google to provide Pentagon with AI agents for unclassified work

Alphabet's Google is introducing artificial intelligence agents across the Pentagon's 3 million-strong workforce to automate routine jobs, according to a senior defense official. Google's Gemini AI agents, which can undertake work independently on behalf of a user who sets them tasks, will initially operate on unclassified networks, said Emil Michael, the under secretary of defense for research and engineering. "We're starting with unclassified because that's where most of the users are, and then we'll get to classified and top secret," Michael said in an interview, adding that talks with Google over using the agents on the classified cloud are under way. "I have high confidence they're going to be a great partner on all networks."

Alphabet's Google Launches AI Agent Builder For Military, Civilians Amid Pentagon-Anthropic Tussle - Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG), Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL)

The tool lets Department of War civilian and military personnel build custom AI agents for unclassified work. No programming skills needed. What Agent Designer Actually Does Agent Designer is a no-/low-code platform. Users build AI agents using plain language instructions. Those agents can handle repetitive, multi-step admin tasks automatically. Examples include drafting meeting read-aheads, pulling action items from team calls, and submitting employee award nominations. Project planning gets a boost, too. Agents can break large goals into step-by-step checklists with timelines. GenAI.mil Already Has 1 Million Users -- and Growing Google first launched Gemini for Government on GenAI.mil in December. It became the first enterprise AI tool available through that platform for unclassified use. In just over one month, GenAI.mil surpassed one million unique users. Five out of six military branches have designated it as their primary enterprise AI productivity platform. The Bigger Picture: Pentagon's AI Fight With Anthropic Google's expansion lands at a tense moment. The Pentagon formally designated Anthropic -- maker of the Claude AI model -- a supply chain risk. Anthropic filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense in response. The company argues Claude should not be used for "lethal autonomous warfare" or surveillance of Americans. Pentagon CTO Emil Michael fired back on the "All-In" podcast March 7, saying, "I need someone who's not going to wig out in the middle." Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said on February 27 that the company would "challenge any supply chain risk designation in court." GOOGL Price Action: Alphabet shares were up 0.54% at $308.00 at the time of publication on Tuesday, according to Benzinga Pro data. Image via Shutterstock This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs To add Benzinga News as your preferred source on Google, click here.

Google Deploys AI Agents to Help Pentagon Automate Jobs | PYMNTS.com

The tech giant's Gemini AI agents, which can carry out tasks independently on behalf of a user as directed, will initially operate on unclassified networks, Emil Michael, the under secretary of defense for research and engineering, told Bloomberg News Tuesday (March 10). "We're starting with unclassified because that's where most of the users are, and then we'll get to classified and top secret," Michael said, adding that discussions with Google over using the agents on the classified cloud are taking place. "I have high confidence they're going to be a great partner on all networks." The report noted that the military's growing AI use is generating controversy at many top U.S. artificial intelligence companies. For example, OpenAI's robotics lead stepped down over the weekend due to that company's agreement with the Pentagon. "This wasn't an easy call. AI has an important role in national security," Caitlin Kalinowski wrote in a post on the X platform. "But surveillance of Americans without judicial oversight and lethal autonomy without human authorization are lines that deserved more deliberation than they got. This was about principle, not people." During the U.S. war on Iran, the military turned to AI to help identify targets and speed processes, leading to a bombing campaign of record intensity, the report said. Meanwhile, the military's partnerships with Google and OpenAI has triggered a feud with Anthropic, which had pushed for assurances that its technology would not be used for domestic surveillance and in fully autonomous weapons. The Pentagon responded by designating Anthropic a supply chain risk, a label normally reserved for companies based in adversarial countries. Anthropic sued the government earlier this week, arguing the supply chain risk designation violates its rights to free speech and due process. The startup is asking a federal judge to reverse the designation and prohibit the federal government from enforcing it. "The Constitution does not allow the government to wield its enormous power to punish a company for its protected speech," the company said in its lawsuit. Michael, a former Uber executive who led negotiations with Anthropic, told Bloomberg the matter wouldn't be settled through the courts and that the Pentagon was now "moving on."