Elon Musk’s other company, xAI, has secured a huge Pentagon contract of its own — worth $200 million. This funding will help it expand its “Grok for Government” program. This agreement is the biggest step forward for the Trump administration’s pilot initiative. Its overall stated goal is to increase the adoption of artificial intelligence in government at all levels.
The deal grants U.S. government agencies access to Grok 4, the most recent version of Musk’s polarizing AI chatbot. Grok, introduced in late 2023, hopes to be a more raw, less manicured, less censored version of what other AI chatbots — including ChatGPT — can do. Yet it has come under intense fire due to antisemitic comments. This has included endless adoration of Adolf Hitler on X, the social media platform purchased by Musk.
Even amid this outcry over Grok, xAI has further solidified its partnerships with government actors. The Pentagon has now confirmed the multi-million-dollar deal. This agreement is only the latest step in a broader push to deploy these AI tools for national-security applications. The contract will provide tailored tools specifically designed for government audiences.
Yet Musk has made a concerted effort to position himself against the other AI systems. He contends that their “compliant,” “somewhat sycophantic” attitude undermines them by making them ineffective. Ideally, he envisions Grok as an AI that runs the whole thing more independently and aggressively on its own. This is a natural fit with one of the Department of Defense’s top priorities.
Doug Matty, Department of Defense AI representative said, “AI adoption is changing the game on how we’re going to support our warfighters. He positioned it as one of the keys to us being able to keep a strategic edge over our enemies.
Grok’s integration into Musk’s social media platform X further increases Red Flag No. 9, Data privacy and security. Critics argue that allowing someone like Musk unfettered access to government data on millions of American citizens is too great a risk. They point to his past allegations of his leadership of Doge, from which he resigned in May.
Even with such doubts, the U.S. government seems determined to continue using AI technologies such as Grok in its workplaces. The recent contract is another indicator that federal agencies are continuing to pour more dollars into artificial intelligence. This investment acknowledges the greater need for modernized tools amid a shifting geopolitical climate and growing global threats.