(Washington, D.C.) The U.S. government will accelerate the research and application of artificial intelligence (AI) in the field of national security, while emphasizing that the technology should not be used for illegal surveillance.
As concerns rise in Washington about the security of powerful new AI systems, the U.S. government said earlier this week it would require major AI developers to voluntarily submit their most powerful models to the government for cybersecurity testing before publicly releasing them.
In a national security memo on Friday (June 5), U.S. President Trump said, "Under the leadership of the government, the United States is able and will responsibly accelerate the application of AI in the fields of intelligence and warfare, in accordance with American values."
According to the memorandum, War Secretary Hergaces must update the directives on the autonomy of weapons systems within 90 days to ensure that the use of AI systems complies with the chain of command principle.
Trump said that AI technology should not be used by the national security system to censor free speech or to conduct unauthorized or illegal surveillance activities.
The memo also states that U.S. national security agencies should work with more than one AI vendor to avoid becoming dependent on a single company.
The memorandum also requires ensuring that government operations are not disrupted once AI tools are embedded in national security systems, and instructs agencies to terminate cooperation with companies that attempt to undermine command systems.
This memo was released after a conflict erupted between the AI lab Anthropic and the Pentagon.
In March of this year, the Pentagon officially added Anthropic to its supply chain risk list because it refused to withdraw the ban on Claude's artificial intelligence being used for autonomous weapons and mass U.S. surveillance.
The Pentagon says the War Department should be able to use the technology as needed, provided it complies with U.S. law. The Pentagon has historically relied on Anthropic to support military operations, including those in Iran.
Trump told the media on Friday that he was interested in giving the U.S. government a stake in major AI developers and planned to meet with executives of the companies as early as next week.
Trump said he had discussed the idea with relevant companies, but did not disclose specific details.
In response to reports that the government would incorporate these stocks into a government-run sovereign wealth fund and redistribute some of the proceeds to the public, Trump said he was open to the idea. “We’re talking about how the American people can benefit from the success of AI. That would be a wonderful thing, and it would enrich the American people.”
Source: [Lianhe Zaobao] (https://www.zaobao.com/news/world/story20260608-9166883)