OpenAI Rewrites Pentagon Deal to Block Domestic Surveillance
Sam Altman confirms OpenAI is amending its DOD contract with explicit protections against surveilling Americans.
OpenAI is reworking its Department of Defense contract to explicitly prevent its AI from being used for domestic surveillance of U.S. citizens. CEO Sam Altman confirmed the company is actively negotiating new provisions with the Pentagon covering mass surveillance restrictions.
The NSA is currently excluded from the deal entirely. That's a notable carve-out given the agency's history with bulk data collection programs.
The move signals OpenAI is trying to draw hard lines around how its technology gets deployed in national security contexts. Building AI tools for the military is one thing. Letting those tools turn inward on American civilians is apparently where Altman draws the line.
Details on the specific contract amendments remain thin. But the fact that OpenAI is publicly telegraphing these guardrails suggests the company wants to get ahead of inevitable scrutiny over its deepening government ties.