Peter Thiel’s Palantir Proposes GPT-based AI To ‘Generate’ and Conduct Military Attacks

May 2, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)—The high-tech company Palantir, founded by billionaire Peter Thiel with initial CIA funding, is making moves to expand its reach beyond domestic surveillance services for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Thiel is not only a pioneer in the funding of the “legal” cannabis operation. The company has released a video demo of its latest offering, the Palantir Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP), which is designed to integrate large language models (LLMs) like OpenAI’s GPT-4 and Google’s BERT into privately-operated networks.

In the video, says an April 27 article published by Metaverse Post, “Palantir showcased how its software could be used by the military in modern warfare scenarios. An operator could use a ChatGPT-style chatbot to order drone reconnaissance, generate attack plans, and coordinate the jamming of enemy communications.”  Therefore, “The launch of Palantir’s AIP is sure to raise questions about the ethical implications of Palantir’s involvement in military operations.”

(Already in February, Palantir CEO Alex Karp told CIA-affinity Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, in an interview, how Palantir’s AI capabilities had been provided to the Ukrainian military, implying—to Ignatius at least—that Palantir AI was “winning” the war for Ukraine.)

AIP generates “a secure digital record of the entire operation,” which the video claims is “crucial in mitigating significant legal, regulatory, and ethical risks in sensitive and classified settings,” and AIP has “industry-leading guardrails in place” to “prevent unauthorized actions, thus ensuring the safe use of the system.”

The military operator featured in the video demonstrates the practical application of Palantir’s scenario in “responding to a potential threat in Eastern Europe. By using AIP, the operator could efficiently and effectively gather more information about the enemy’s military equipment. With the help of the AIP’s large language models, the operator was also able to quickly ask questions and obtain accurate answers.”

Although the AIP’s abilities were showcased “effectively,” Palantir “recognizes the importance of governing the application of LLMs and algorithms in sensitive situations, particularly in military endeavors.” There are also concerns about the reliability and effectiveness of the technology, particularly about “preventing LLMs from generating false facts and details.”

It is quite probable that the call for a six-month moratorium of GPT applications, signed by many prominent figures in the AI industry, came as a response to Palantir’s announcement. Members of the U.S. Congress introduced a bill to prevent the use of artificial intelligence in making the decision as to whether to launch nuclear weapons.