A BIG Step Towards AI in Warfare

July 15, 2025

Hi everyone,

It was just announced that the Pentagon is awarding upwards of $800 million in contracts to four AI companies: Open AI (makers of ChatGPT), Anthropic (Claude),  xAi (Grok), and Google (Gemini). This almost billion-dollar investment in AI is, according to the Defense Department, “transforming the Department’s ability to support our warfighters and maintain strategic advantage over our adversaries.” The deployment of artificial intelligence within the Department of Defense was as inevitable as the implications are immense, and there are many serious questions that need to be answered. 

We face a challenge, however:  It is the job of the Congress to provide oversight of the executive, but they don't know nearly enough about technology to do the job. How then will they oversee the use of AI within the DoD? We are at the threshold of Artificial Intelligence taking a permanent place in warfare, and the only body tasked with making sure this is done correctly, ethically, and with due consideration for law and the rights of Americans doesn't know where to begin.

I have, and will continue to shout the warning: Artificial Intelligence is here, and its impact will be huge and all-encompassing! We cannot stand by and allow big tech to make all the rules. We saw how this played out before, but now the stakes are much, much higher.

The Congress must proactively protect Americans through its Article I powers to legislate and provide a check on the Executive when they decide to outsource the development of AI for warfare! If they cannot do their job, and they have shown time and time again that they are ill-equipped, then we need new representatives that can undertake the task.

I believe I am up to the task. I've spent decades on the research and development of cutting edge technologies (from Internet and web technologies in the 90's to cryptocurrencies and AI today), and working on ensuring their considerate and equitable integration into society. This is visible in everything from my research into the use of AI in healthcare, to being a leader on DEI efforts within and outside my university to broaden access to STEM for underrepresented groups. Understanding not just what technology can do, but how to make sure everyone benefits and no one is exploited has been a cornerstone of my professional life, and would serve as one of my guiding principles as a legislator.

My ask, as always, is simple: share this message and this candidacy with friends and family that, like you, want to see a new direction in Congress. Share it with those that are convinced, or need convincing, of the challenges that lie ahead and that a new generation of legislators that understand the world we're entering are needed. Share it because it's only through your help that we will succeed!

--Karl