The Pentagon closed access to weapons testing reports due to AI risks
Kyiv • UNN
The Pentagon removed 25-year-old weapons testing reports from public access due to the threat of AI using the data. Senator Warren criticized the decision, citing risks to the safety of military personnel and the use of budget funds.
The Pentagon has removed from public access reports on U.S. weapons testing over the past 25 years, explaining that foreign adversaries could use such data with the help of artificial intelligence. Bloomberg reports, writes UNN.
Details
The U.S. Department of Defense said the decision was made on July 30 as a "proactive measure" to strengthen operational security. The department believes that artificial intelligence and other modern technologies could help analyze publicly available unclassified data and create detailed profiles of vulnerabilities in the U.S. defense infrastructure.
From now on, annual reports assessing major weapons programs will be available only to authorized personnel through a secure network. Previously, these documents contained information about technical deficiencies and operational problems with a number of weapons systems, including the F-35 fighter jet program.
U.S. officials criticized the decision over the loss of transparency
Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren said that concealing such reports could negatively affect both the safety of service members and oversight of budget spending.
Concealing reports that expose weapons malfunctions could cost service members their lives and waste billions of taxpayers' dollars
She also questioned the actions of weapons testing director Amy Henninger, who had previously promised during Senate hearings to ensure maximum transparency in the department's work. At the same time, the Pentagon emphasized that the reports had not been deleted but merely moved to a secure resource accessible to authorized personnel involved in carrying out defense missions.