U.S. Military

The United States Military is the armed forces of the federal government — comprising the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard — and one of the largest institutional adopters of emerging technology in the world.

Artificial intelligence has become central to Pentagon planning, spanning autonomous weapons systems, low-cost drone fleets, and AI-assisted decision-making. The annual National Defense Authorization Act has increasingly incorporated AI-specific provisions, and executive pressure has pushed the military to accelerate AI adoption while the Pentagon pursues classified agreements with technology vendors. Budget discussions have surfaced difficult tradeoffs, with some officials suggesting high-end conventional weapons could be reduced to fund a major expansion of autonomous drones. Proposals have also emerged to create a dedicated combatant command focused entirely on unmanned systems.

The military's AI ambitions have generated significant policy debate in Congress. Lawmakers have introduced legislation requiring human oversight whenever autonomous or semi-autonomous weapons are deployed, reflecting broader concerns about accountability and the role of machine decision-making in lethal operations.