Is the Pentagon allowed to surveil Americans with AI?

The Pentagon's potential use of artificial intelligence for domestic surveillance of Americans is legally ambiguous, according to experts, despite recent public disputes with AI companies. This issue came to light after Anthropic refused to allow its AI, Claude, to be used for mass domestic surveillance, leading to the Pentagon designating it a supply chain risk. Rival company OpenAI initially agreed to "all lawful purposes" for its AI, but later amended its contract to prohibit intentional domestic surveillance after public outcry. Legal scholars indicate that existing laws, predating modern AI capabilities and the prevalence of commercial data, do not clearly define or restrict what constitutes surveillance, particularly concerning publicly available or commercially purchased data. This situation highlights a gap between technological advancements and current legal frameworks, prompting calls for legislative action to clarify surveillance boundaries.