Pentagon · White House · SpaceX · Elon Musk · Pete Hegseth · Anduril · NPR Technology
Elon Musk and Palmer Luckey's new Pentagon roles raise ethics worries
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Last week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced "Project Meridian: The Future of Warfare," a study of automated and AI-powered weaponry.
Key facts
- Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk at a White House event about artificial intelligence on Sept. 29, 2026
- SpaceX has secured over $8 billion in U.S. defense contracts in 2026 alone, according to government contract announcements
- Palmer Luckey, co-founder of Anduril Industries, at a 2023 event
- Last week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced "Project Meridian: The Future of Warfare," a study of automated and AI-powered weaponry
Summary
A new Pentagon study focusing on the future of warfare is raising ethical concerns about its authors' potential conflicts of interest. In addition to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, the other two leaders of the project are SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Palmer Luckey, the co-founder of defense technology firm Anduril. "The team are witnessing rapid advances in artificial intelligence, autonomy, directed energy, robotics, biotechnology, among other critical high-tech areas. The study's announcement came days before an expected speech by President Trump at an Anduril facility in Baltimore on Tuesday.