OpenAI, Google, and Perplexity near approval to host AI directly for the U.S. government (exclusive)

"Three AI companies-OpenAI, Google, and Perplexity-are on the verge of receiving approval to sell their technology, hosted on their own cloud systems, directly to the government, a person familiar with the matter tells Fast Company. That authorization will be on a "low impact" and pilot level, the person said, but constitutes a major step toward independence. That independence could help those companies avoid some of the complications created by ongoing partnerships between AI firms and longtime government tech contractors."

"The downside of that kind of dependence is now playing out in the brewing feud between Anthropic and the Pentagon, which appears to have been fueled, in part, by its partnership with Palantir. The Defense Department is threatening to cancel a $200 million contract after Anthropic requested limits on the use of its AI for certain applications, including autonomous weapons and mass surveillance. Anthropic's Claude model was made available to military officials with the help of Palantir's systems and was even used in the U.S. operation to capture former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, according to reports."

OpenAI, Google, and Perplexity are nearing approval to sell their AI technology hosted on their own cloud systems directly to the government under a low-impact pilot authorization. Hosting and selling on their own clouds would reduce reliance on established government contractors such as Microsoft, Palantir, and Amazon Web Services and restore more direct control over deployment timing and permitted uses. Existing partnerships have created complications, exemplified by the Anthropic–Pentagon dispute tied to Palantir, limits on military applications, and a threatened contract cancellation. Greater independence would simplify government sales and limit third-party entanglements.

Read at Fast Company