The Defense Department said it chose Alphabet Inc Gemini for the government system to provide artificial intelligence capability for its roughly three million civilian and military employees.
“The future of American warfare is here and it’s called AI,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a video posted on X on Tuesday that the addition of the software will help the military quickly analyze video and imagery.
The new platform, known as GenAI.mil, is designed to usher in an “artificial intelligence-driven culture change that will dominate the digital battlefield for years to come,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
In July, Alphabet’s Google Cloud announced a $200 million contract to provide AI capabilities to the Department of Defense, with other prominent AI firms receiving similar contracts, including OpenAI, Elon Musk’s xAI and Anthropic PBC.
Google already provides AI capabilities to the US Navy, Air Force and the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit.
Google says the first AI glasses with Gemini will arrive in 2026
Google Alphabet Inc. said it is working to create two different categories of AI-powered smart glasses next year to compete with existing models from Meta Platforms Inc.: one with screens and one focused on sound.
The first artificial intelligence glasses that Google is working on will arrive sometime in 2026, she said in a blog post on Monday. Samsung Electronics Co., Warby Parker and Gentle Monster are among its first hardware partners, but the companies have yet to show off final designs.
Google also outlined several software improvements coming to the Samsung Galaxy XR headset, including a travel mode that will allow the mixed reality device to be used in cars and on planes.
Competition is growing in the emerging category of artificial intelligence and augmented reality, or AR, glasses. Meta was the most prolific. It sells reasonably priced eyewear under the Ray-Ban and Oakley brands, which have met with positive reviews and decent sales, and has also recently introduced a more expensive pair with an integrated display. Snap Inc.’s first AR glasses for consumers are also premiering next year and Apple Inc. plans to enter space around the same time.
For Google, the new products — and its new Android XR operating system — represent a more refined and thoughtful approach to smart glasses compared to Google Glass, a product ahead of its time that failed with consumers a decade ago due to its bizarre design, poor battery life and privacy concerns.
During a demonstration at one of Google’s New York offices, I was able to try out several different pairs of prototype AI glasses, along with an early sample of the glasses the search giant is working on with Xreal, codenamed Project Aura.
