The U.S. Department of Defense is deepening its collaboration with Google while it remains embroiled in litigation with AI company Anthropic.
On March 10, Google said it added AI agent capabilities to the DoD’s GenAI.mil platform. The new functionality lets DoD civilians and service members create and run agents that automate unclassified administrative tasks—such as drafting documents and planning projects—using natural-language prompts.
Google also announced eight prebuilt agents designed for routine functions like meeting-minute summaries, budget preparation, and reviews of defense strategy guidance.
After deploying its Gemini model to DoD systems in December, Google said GenAI.mil topped 1 million users within about a month. Five of the six military services have since designated Gemini as their official AI platform.
The DoD and Google are also exploring options to expand agent use into classified and top-secret environments.
Emil Michael, the DoD deputy undersecretary for research and engineering and chief technology officer, told Bloomberg that beginning in unclassified areas makes sense because those users are the largest group. He added the department plans to extend the technology to classified and top-secret workloads and described Google as a “trusted partner.”
The decision to deepen cooperation comes amid escalating tensions between the Pentagon and Anthropic. After disagreements over the scope of AI use, the DoD labeled Anthropic a “supply chain risk” company. Anthropic responded by filing suit yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
Michael said the dispute “is not a matter for the courts” and that the department is moving forward to the next phase.
Google previously faced internal pushback in 2018 over its participation in a DoD drone video-analysis AI project and chose not to renew that contract after employee opposition. Reports indicate that some Google employees recently filed briefs expressing support for Anthropic in its litigation.
