DOJ invokes national security to defend xAI's unpermitted gas turbines in NAACP lawsuit

US Justice Department calls xAI's chatbot Grok essential to military operations, defending its controversial gas turbines.

In a filing to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the NAACP, the Department of Justice argues that the suit "threatens American national, economic, and energy security by seeking to shut off the power supply for artificial-intelligence innovation that supports the Department of War's military operations." According to a statement by Cameron Stanley, Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer at the Department of Defense, Grok is one of just four AI models that "support mission-critical operations across Secret and Top-Secret classified networks" - including recent strikes against Iran.

The NAACP filed suit because xAI, which is part of SpaceX, runs unpermitted gas turbines at its Colossus 2 facility in Southaven, Mississippi. According to the Southern Environmental Law Center, the number of turbines has grown from 27 to 57 since April, driving a 111 percent spike in nitrogen oxide emissions. Beyond Colossus 2, Elon Musk's company operates just one other major data center.