Trumps Ai Power Grab: Army Turns To Unconventional Tool To Suppress Diversity Efforts

The US Army’s efforts to purge diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) content from its training materials have taken an unexpected turn. The military branch is now relying on a cutting-edge artificial intelligence tool, CamoGPT, to identify references to DEIA in line with a recent executive order signed by President Donald Trump.

The Army’s Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), which is responsible for training soldiers, developing leaders, and shaping the service’s guidelines, strategies, and concepts, has been using CamoGPT to review policies, programs, publications, and initiatives for DEIA. The tool is designed to “review policies, programs, publications, and initiatives for DEIA and report findings,” according to an internal memo.

TRADOC officials have confirmed the use of CamoGPT in a recent email to WIRED, stating that they will fully execute and implement all directives outlined in the executive orders issued by the president. The Army’s decision to employ CamoGPT is part of a broader effort to eliminate any policies seen as promoting “un-American, divisive, discriminatory, radical, extremist, and irrational theories” regarding race and gender.

Developed last summer to boost productivity and operational readiness across the US Army, CamoGPT has gained significant traction among its users. With around 4,000 daily users, including Captain Aidan Doyle, a CamoGPT data engineer, who works closely with TRADOC to understand how the tool can be leveraged.

Doyle described the process of searching through documents as relatively straightforward. “I would take all the documentation you want to examine, order it all in a collection on CamoGPT, and then ask questions about the documents,” he says. The more specific the question is to the concepts inside the document, the more detailed information the model will provide back.

In practical terms, this means that TRADOC officials are likely inputting large numbers of documents into CamoGPT and asking it to scan for targeted keywords like “dignity” or “respect.” By using CamoGPT, the work of eliminating DEIA-related content is expected to result in a rapid change to the US Army’s documentation.

“We’re competing with ‘control+F’ in Adobe Acrobat,” Doyle says, highlighting the tool’s potential to streamline the process. The use of CamoGPT also raises questions about the role of AI in content review and moderation. As the tool becomes increasingly sophisticated, it is likely that we will see more military branches and organizations rely on similar technologies to identify and eliminate sensitive or controversial content.

The implications of this development are far-reaching, particularly in the context of national security and the use of language. The executive order signed by President Trump has sparked controversy among civil rights advocates and lawmakers, who argue that it is an attempt to suppress free speech and promote a narrow definition of patriotism.

Some have pointed out that the use of AI tools like CamoGPT can also be seen as a means to address legitimate issues around diversity and inclusion in the military. By identifying and eliminating DEIA-related content, TRADOC officials hope to promote a more inclusive and respectful environment for soldiers from diverse backgrounds.

Experts in the field of artificial intelligence and linguistics warn that the key to effective content moderation is not just about identifying sensitive keywords but also understanding the context and nuances of language. “The use of AI tools like CamoGPT can be both beneficial and problematic,” says Dr. Maria Hernandez, a leading expert on language models like CamoGPT.

As the US Army continues to navigate its relationship with CamoGPT and DEIA-related content, it is clear that this issue will require ongoing dialogue and debate among policymakers, civil rights advocates, and experts in artificial intelligence. Ultimately, the goal should be to create a more inclusive and respectful environment for soldiers from diverse backgrounds, while also ensuring that national security objectives are protected.

The use of AI tools like CamoGPT raises important questions about the role of language and content moderation in modern warfare. Prioritizing nuanced understanding and context-aware approaches is essential to ensure that these technologies serve both the military’s needs and the principles of free speech and inclusivity.