Google Negotiates Gemini AI for US Military Use

Google is in advanced negotiations with the U.S. Department of Defense to deploy its Gemini artificial intelligence models in classified military environments, according to a report citing two individuals familiar with the discussions. The proposed agreement, if finalized, would permit the Pentagon to apply Google's AI technology to a broad array of lawful military operations, marking a potential expansion of the company's role in national defense.

The talks, first detailed in a report from The Information on April 16, 2026, represent a departure from Google's past reluctance to engage deeply with military projects. In 2018, the company withdrew from Project Maven, a Pentagon program developing AI for drone imagery analysis, following widespread employee protests over ethical concerns related to warfare applications. This time, Google is advocating for specific contractual safeguards to address similar issues. The company has proposed language that would prohibit the use of its AI in domestic mass surveillance activities or in autonomous weapons systems operating without sufficient human oversight and control.

These proposed restrictions closely align with terms that OpenAI...