OpenAI’s battlefield foray, led by self-described ‘radical zionist’

Not too long ago, OpenAI in its nascent stage boasted about keeping its technology civil, away from military application.

But the tech giant has given in to the militaristic temptation, opening its doors to defense collaborations from the beginning of 2024.

On December 4, in what seemed like a complete breakaway from its founding principles, OpenAI announced a partnership with Anduril Industries, a US-based defense technology company specializing in advanced military capabilities.

Earlier, it used to bar anyone from using its models for “weapons development” or “military and warfare,” asserting that it would contradict its mission to benefit all of humanity.

Yet, a lot has changed within the company.

In January, it quietly removed language in its terms of service banning its AI from “military and warfare” applications.

About a week later, the ChatGPT maker disclosed that it was working with the Pentagon on a number of software projects, including those related to cybersecurity.

At the time, the company insisted that its anti-war policies remained firmly in place — even as the new application appeared to stretch the bounds of what was previously restricted under the “military and warfare” classification.

What followed was not a surprise.

By October, the company outlined its new direction in a blog post that made clear that OpenAI was now fully engaged in national security initiatives.

The post was published on the same day the White House’s National Security Memorandum on AI was released.

The memorandum was aimed at advancing the United States’ leadership in Artificial Intelligence, building on the Biden administration's initiatives to address technological competition from China and other rival nations.

Anduril’s pro-Israel leader

OpenAI’s collaboration with Anduril will translate into the tech giant’s transfer of LLM-driven knowledge to counter-drone systems, which are designed to detect and neutralise unmanned aerial threats.

Anduril’s major products include drone systems and counter-drone technology as well as semi-portable autonomous surveillance platforms.

OpenAI has asserted that the partnership is focused on defensive measures to protect US and allied forces, not offensive weapons development, a distinction that often proves to be a blurry and contentious line.

The strong pro-Israeli stance of Anduril’s leader Palmer Luckey raises reasonable questions about this tech collaboration potentially resulting in a disaster for civilians, given Israel’s gross human rights abuses and massacres of Palestinians.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, has also demonstrated strong ties to Israel.

In 2023, Altman met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and high-tech leaders, praising the country’s pivotal role in the AI revolution.

Altman has also invested in Apex, an Israeli AI startup founded by former members of Unit 8200, the Israeli army's elite surveillance unit.

Palmer Luckey, the founder of Anduril is a self-described “radical Zionist” who once declared that “Israel has my [and our] unqualified support,” during a speech at The Wall Street Journal's Tech Live conference.

In a 2024 interview with Tablet Magazine, Luckey complained that many of his “well-meaning but less-Israel-aligned colleagues” fail to understand what Israel means not just for Jews but also for maintaining ‘the balance of power’.

“In the global race for AI, this partnership signals our shared commitment to ensuring the US and allied forces have access to the most-advanced and responsible AI technologies in the world,” Anduril posted on X on December 4.

However, an Anduril spokesperson has declined to specify the global bases where the models will be deployed, raising questions about the partnership’s broader implications.