The Pentagon has expressed disapproval of OpenAI's Dean Ball's stance on regulation, raising questions about the future of OpenAI's relationship with the government.
On Sunday, Dean Ball, head of strategic futures at OpenAI, had indicated on X that several U.S. government agencies, including the Departments of Defense, Transportation, Energy, Agriculture, Commerce, NASA, and Congress, have barred employees from using Chinese AI tools, arguing the restrictions are based on poorly justified safety concerns and have discouraged regulated companies from adopting the technology.
Defence Under Secretary Emil Michael fired back on X and refuted Ball's assertion that government agencies, including the Pentagon, were preventing employees from using Chinese AI.
He elaborated that Congress passed a 2026 law restricting certain uses of only DeepSeek and High Flyer models, while allowing waivers in specific cases.
The measure was approved through the legislative process, not through a "Deep State" initiative, as Ball alleged.
