The United States military on Wednesday confirmed that it is using multiple artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran. Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, said the systems help process vast amounts of data quickly to support faster decision-making. The announcement underscores the Pentagon’s deepening reliance on technology firms, including Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, Palantir, and Anthropic, which have become increasingly embedded in US defense operations.

The report traces the long history of collaboration between the US military and private corporations, dating back to World War II when IBM built electromagnetic calculators for ballistic computations. The military’s partnerships have since expanded to include the creation of ARPANET, the precursor to the internet, and the development of GPS for precision bombing. More recent projects include Google’s involvement in Project Maven, Microsoft’s augmented reality headset program, Amazon’s cloud infrastructure for classified data, and SpaceX’s Starshield satellite network.

The Pentagon recently blacklisted Anthropic after it refused to remove AI safeguards, while Palantir and other firms have faced criticism for their roles in conflicts such as Israel’s war on Gaza. The growing integration of AI in warfare has raised global concerns about ethics and accountability.