The White House on Friday announced it will accelerate the development and use of AI for national security applications, while emphasizing the technology must not be used for unlawful surveillance.
President Donald Trump signed a national security memorandum stating, "Under my Administration, the United States can and will responsibly accelerate the use of AI across intelligence and warfighting domains in line with American values."
The directive gives Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth 90 days to update existing guidance on autonomous weapons systems, ensuring they "respect the chain of command."
Earlier this week, the administration also called on top AI developers to voluntarily submit their most powerful models for government cybersecurity testing before public release, amid rising security concerns.
Trump stressed that AI must not be used to censor free speech or conduct unauthorized surveillance.