Google in talks with Pentagon over classified Gemini use

The Information, citing two people with direct knowledge, reported that Google is negotiating an agreement with the US Department of Defense that would let the Pentagon use its Gemini AI models in classified settings.

The proposed deal would permit use of the models for all lawful uses.

Google has proposed additional language to prevent them from being used for domestic mass surveillance or autonomous weapons without appropriate human control.

A Pentagon agreement would deepen Google’s work with the US government as federal agencies add AI tools to cut costs and speed administrative work.

🔗 Source: Reuters

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Google’s proposed classified deal follows broader low-cost federal use

Negotiations to use Gemini in classified work build on an existing partnership. About 1.2 million Defense Department employees have used Google’s AI chatbot through GenAI.mil for unclassified tasks since December 1.
The rollout includes “Agent Designer,” which lets the Defense Department’s roughly 3 million civilian and military staff build custom AI assistants without writing code 2.
Google is pursuing the classified expansion after pricing “Gemini for Government” at 47 cents per agency for one year under a General Services Administration deal. The General Services Administration is the US government’s main purchasing agency 3.
The bargain rate tracks $1-per-agency, one-year offers from OpenAI and Anthropic that aim to speed AI use across federal agencies 3.

The Pentagon’s contracting push follows a rival dispute

Google’s talks come after the Pentagon labeled Anthropic, an AI company, a “supply chain risk.” The decision followed a clash over contract terms tied to concerns about autonomous weapons and domestic mass surveillance 2.
The fight left room for other vendors. Google’s draft terms seek limits on domestic mass surveillance and autonomous weapons without appropriate human oversight, which resembles language OpenAI agreed to earlier this year, according to a report cited by Investing.com, a financial news website 4.
The push marks a change from 2018, when Google declined to renew Project Maven, a Pentagon effort that used AI to analyze drone footage, after employee protests 1.
CEO Sundar Pichai later signaled less patience for internal activism, writing internally, “This is a business,” and not a place to “fight over disruptive issues or debate politics” 5.