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MaddowBlog-Hegseth shrugs at Grok scandals, partners with Musk's generative AI model
Common sense might suggest that the Pentagon would balk at embracing Elon Musk’s notorious pet AI. Common sense is not Pete Hegseth’s strong suit.
As Musk’s Grok faces an international backlash, common sense might have cautioned the Pentagon against embracing the scandal-plagued AI program.
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-01-13T14:14:34.733Z
Pete Hegseth, however, doesn’t care. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/grok-pentagon-hegseth-partner-musk
In the following months, the serious missteps started to create a pattern. Border Patrol officials, for example, were caught misusing ChatGPT. The Food and Drug Administration unveiled an AI tool intended to speed up drug approvals, though the tool did not work. The director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, used an AI program to determine which documents to release about the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy, a process that apparently did not go well.
But Donald Trump and his team are undeterred and moving forward with expanding their AI efforts. NBC News reported:
Right off the bat, it’s worth emphasizing Musk’s role in the endeavor. As recently as last week, the billionaire used the social media platform he owns to amplify and endorse an explicitly white supremacist message. The Pentagon chief nevertheless held Monday’s event at a Musk-owned business, embraced Musk and was introduced by Musk at the gathering.
What’s more, Hegseth’s remarks at the event were hardly reassuring. The defense secretary, who’s long expressed indifference to war crimes, explicitly told attendees, “We will not employ AI models that won’t allow you to fight wars.” He added that the Pentagon’s new partnership will use AI that will not be “woke” or “equitable.”
....But I’m also struck by the timing of the announcement. As my MS NOW colleague Ja’han Jones recently reported, Musk’s AI company is currently facing international condemnation after it introduced a “spicy mode” for its chatbot two weeks ago. The feature “allows users to digitally remove clothing from images and has been deployed to produce what amounts to child pornography — along with other disturbing behavior.” (And let’s not forget the incident from last July, when Grok went on an antisemitic tirade and referred to itself as “Mechahitler.”)
The international backlash to Grok has only continued to grow, as some countries have announced plans to block the AI chatbot altogether.
Given the proliferation of scandals, all within recent memory, common sense might have cautioned the Defense Department against embracing Musk’s pet AI program. Alas, perhaps common sense is “woke” now.
But Donald Trump and his team are undeterred and moving forward with expanding their AI efforts. NBC News reported:
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth [on Monday] detailed the Pentagon’s ‘AI first’ policy during a speech at SpaceX’s headquarters attended by its founder, Elon Musk.
Hegseth said Cameron Stanley, an alum of [Amazon Web Services] and Project Maven, will be the Pentagon’s chief digital and artificial intelligence officer. He also announced that the Defense Department will partner with Grok, the generative AI model developed by Musk’s company xAI.
Right off the bat, it’s worth emphasizing Musk’s role in the endeavor. As recently as last week, the billionaire used the social media platform he owns to amplify and endorse an explicitly white supremacist message. The Pentagon chief nevertheless held Monday’s event at a Musk-owned business, embraced Musk and was introduced by Musk at the gathering.
What’s more, Hegseth’s remarks at the event were hardly reassuring. The defense secretary, who’s long expressed indifference to war crimes, explicitly told attendees, “We will not employ AI models that won’t allow you to fight wars.” He added that the Pentagon’s new partnership will use AI that will not be “woke” or “equitable.”
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced the integration of Elon Musk's xAI platform, Grok, into military networks as part of a new "AI acceleration strategy" during a visit to SpaceX.
— Reuters (@reuters.com) 2026-01-13T04:13:52.012Z
....But I’m also struck by the timing of the announcement. As my MS NOW colleague Ja’han Jones recently reported, Musk’s AI company is currently facing international condemnation after it introduced a “spicy mode” for its chatbot two weeks ago. The feature “allows users to digitally remove clothing from images and has been deployed to produce what amounts to child pornography — along with other disturbing behavior.” (And let’s not forget the incident from last July, when Grok went on an antisemitic tirade and referred to itself as “Mechahitler.”)
The international backlash to Grok has only continued to grow, as some countries have announced plans to block the AI chatbot altogether.
Given the proliferation of scandals, all within recent memory, common sense might have cautioned the Defense Department against embracing Musk’s pet AI program. Alas, perhaps common sense is “woke” now.
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