Cybersecurity Policy Report, DoD Shouldn’t Use AI for Domestic Surveillance, Senate Democrats Tell Developers, (Mar 27, 2026)
Organizations Mentioned:Alphabet (Class A) | Amazon Web Services, Inc.
Leading U.S. developers of artificial intelligence were queried yesterday by five Senate Democrats about whether their contracts with the Department of Defense permit the use of their AI tools for “bulk surveillance of Americans.”
“Recent developments concerning the Department of Defense’s approach to AI suggest a troubling disregard for the kinds of safeguards in place to ensure that AI is being adopted with robust accountability,” the senators said in letters to OpenAI, Amazon Web Services, Inc., xAI Corp., Alphabet, Inc., Microsoft AI, and Meta Platforms, Inc.
They noted that the Trump administration recently sought to punish Anthropic after the AI provider insisted on contract terms to prevent DoD from using Anthropic’s AI tools for autonomous weapons or domestic surveillance. DoD said the contract should allow “any lawful use” of Anthropic’s AI.
“Your company has reportedly agreed in principle to have your AI model deployed for military purposes or to facilitate such deployment, subject to an ‘any lawful use’ standard,” the senators reminded the AI companies.
They asked the companies to respond by April 3 with information about whether they have “specific, legally enforceable protections ensuring your AI model is not used to conduct bulk surveillance on Americans in violation of the law” and whether they would inform Congress about any attempts by DoD to use their AI tools for “unlawful or unethical” purposes.
The letters were signed by Sen. Mark Warner (D., Va.), vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D., N.Y.), Mark Kelly (D., Ariz.), Elissa Slotkin (D., Mich.), Tim Kaine (D., Va.), and Chris Coons (D., Del).
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