Is AI changing US military warfare?

The Pentagon is pushing for a $1.5t military budget to modernise for an AI-driven battlefield, with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth referencing AI 39 times in a single 42-minute speech. AI systems like Project Maven already process up to 150 data sources simultaneously, generating up to 1,000 targeting recommendations per hour — work that once required 2,000 intelligence officers is now done by 20. The war with Iran became the largest AI-assisted US air campaign on record. But critics warn of dangers. A US strike on an elementary school in southern Iran on day one of the war killed more than 170 people, mostly schoolgirls. AI company Anthropic is fighting the Pentagon in court after being punished for refusing to allow mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons. The company’s CEO said he could not “in good conscience” authorise unrestricted use of its technology.