John,
In a functioning democracy, decisions that shape the future of national security would be made with oversight, transparency, and some basic standards of decency. But what we are seeing from Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon is something else entirely, a handoff of public power to Elon Musk, rubber-stamped with $200 million in taxpayer money and zero public input.
The contract in question hands Musk’s AI company a nine-figure payday to deploy Grok, his AI chatbot, throughout the Department of Defense. Not hypothetically. Not in a test lab. This deal sets the stage for Grok to be embedded directly into military systems, offering “technical support” in classified environments.
This isn’t just stupid because AI tech like this is untested and unprepared for national security, it’s also an unforgivable violation of moral decency.
Grok isn’t just a buggy new tool. It is an unhinged, wildly dangerous system that has already humiliated itself on the world stage – repeatedly. It called itself “MechaHitler.” It promoted antisemitic conspiracy theories. It crafted grotesque rape fantasies about an online critic of Elon Musk. It sexually harassed X’s former CEO.
All of this while being sold as the future of American artificial intelligence.
Grok’s history of racism, sexism, and well… everything… didn’t end the conversation. It didn’t even delay the deal. Incredibly, the Department of Defense signed off on Grok after the meltdown.
They handed this chatbot a $200 million contract and gave Elon Musk exactly what he wanted, another federal cash infusion and another foothold in the government. This cannot be allowed to stand. Tell Secretary Pete Hegseth to cancel the Grok AI contract immediately.
Musk’s chatbot should have been disqualified the moment it degraded itself into fascist cosplay. The fact that it wasn’t proves how broken the current system is.
We are watching in real time as authoritarian led tech culture gets a seat at the table while the rest of us are expected to accept it as progress.
There was no vote. No Congressional hearing. No ethical review.
Just $200 million and a blank check to a man who gleefully undermines democratic norms every single day. If Pete Hegseth believes this is how you “maintain a strategic edge,” then he has no business managing the future of warfare.
This is not a defense strategy. It is a surrender to hype and hubris. And unless we stop it now, this contract won’t be the last. It’ll be the first of many, paving the way for even more dangerous private actors to burrow into the foundation of public power.
Send a message to Secretary Pete Hegseth demanding a stop to this deal. Grok must be shut out of our government now.
Let’s stop the Defense Department from giving Musk unprecedented influence and an even greater influence pipeline straight into national security infrastructure.
-DFA AF Team
