Amid rising war tensions in West Asia, the US has begun to formally place artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and systems at the heart of its military infrastructure. According to Reuters, the US military headquarters, the Pentagon, is preparing to make Palantir Technologies' 'Maven Smart System' a permanent 'program of record'.

Just last month, the Pentagon announced that it would expand OpenAI's ChatGPT models for government use. The previously used Anthropic Cloud was announced to be out of government use due to security concerns.

Maven integrates data from satellites, drones and various sensor systems deployed in the battlefield to produce information and analysis. It is said to have assisted in thousands of attacks related to Iran in the past few weeks. It has made it possible to complete analysis that used to take hours in a matter of minutes. The system is considered to have strengthened the US strategy to gain a decisive advantage in war situations by allowing military strategists to identify objects on the battlefield, monitor activities and select weapons from a single interface.

Similarly, AI-based surveillance and targeting systems are also expanding in regions including South America. As a result, US officials claim that data-based intelligence work is becoming more effective than ever. US reports have mentioned the widespread use of Anthropic's AI tool cloud in the military operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The US Department of Defense has signed multi-million dollar contracts with companies such as OpenAI, Cloud, Google, and Microsoft for various AI services and systems of different nature.

With the increased data analysis capabilities of AI technologies and platforms, competition in this technology is also intensifying commercially. Defense and military contracts have now become the most attractive markets for AI companies. This has deeply linked Silicon Valley to the national security of various countries including the US, Europe, and others. Palantir's revenue is growing rapidly with increasing demand, and OpenAI has also indicated that it has entered the top-secret defense work after it began serving government agencies through Amazon's cloud.

Similarly, the Pentagon has banned Anthropic's technology, citing "supply chain risks," highlighting the conflict between ethical standards and military needs. According to Reuters analysts, this has created a new defense technology economy. Winning government contracts is not only a source of income but also a sign of credibility in the market.

Not only the United States, but other countries around the world are moving towards AI-based military systems. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was the first organization to adopt OpenAI's defense system. China and Russia are increasing their investment in the development of autonomous weapons, AI-assisted command systems, and drones. China announced in 2024 that it was preparing its own AI companies to be active participants on the battlefield.