In letters seen by NBC News, Sen. Warren raised concerns over the deals between the government and tech companies and the potential for AI-powered surveillance and weapons.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., at a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last year. Getty Images file
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., asked seven American tech companies in letters Monday night for information about their engagement with the U.S. military, underscoring concerns about the Defense Department’s opaque AI arrangements.
Warren also sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth requesting the Pentagon’s full contracts with the tech companies, information about its plans for fully autonomous weapons and details about the Pentagon’s current safety guardrails for AI systems. Though the military and intelligence agencies are increasingly adopting AI throughout their operations, members of Congress and the public have limited insight into how AI systems are being used for intelligence gathering and active military operations.
In the letters, seen by NBC News, Warren wrote that she was concerned that contracts between the companies and the Pentagon would give “Trump Administration officials free rein to engage in domestic surveillance — including spying on U.S. citizens exercising their legal rights — or build autonomous weapon systems that have enormous power to make decisions about targeting without human intervention.”
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