The agreements between American AI giants and the Pentagon no longer only provoke an ethical debate. They become a subject of public trust, digital sovereignty and even international competition.
In brief
- The IA-Pentagon agreements weaken trust around the American giants.
- Google faces an internal revolt after the mobilization of 600 employees.
- Europe sees this as one more argument to accelerate its digital sovereignty.
The discomfort no longer comes only from activists
The crisis of confidence around American military AI is widening. It now affects users, tech employees and several foreign governments. The most visible signal comes from ChatGPT, which reportedly caused a sharp decline in developer hiring.
But that's not what worries you the most: in the United States, uninstallations of the application jumped 295% in a single day after the announcement of an agreement between OpenAI and the US Department of Defense, according to Sensor Tower data reported by TechCrunch. Downloads fell by 13% the same day.
This figure does not say that ChatGPT is collapsing. He says something else. Part of the public is starting to treat AI as a political choice. Installing an application, keeping it or deleting it becomes a way of voting with your phone.
This reflex is found at Google. More than 600 employees asked Sundar Pichai to refuse classified military uses of the company's AI. Their fear comes down to a simple idea: once placed in secret networks, the models escape public view and even the internal control of the teams who build them.
Google reopens an old wound
Google has experienced this scenario before. In 2018, the Maven project triggered an internal rebellion. The company was then working with the Pentagon on analyzing drone images. Pressure from employees ultimately pushed Google not to renew the contract. This story remains in the walls.
The new file therefore awakens an old ghost. According to the information available, the agreement would allow the Pentagon to use Google models for any “lawful government purpose.” The contract also states that AI should not be used for domestic mass surveillance or autonomous weapons without human supervision. But the sensitive point comes right after: Google would not have a veto over the government's legal operational decisions.
This is where doubt sets in. The guarantees exist on paper. But their real scope remains unclear. The text provided rightly highlights this gray area: companies promise limits, while the State retains control over the legal use of these systems. For a technology as powerful as AI, this nuance looms large.
Europe views the affair with suspicion
The debate now extends beyond Google's offices. In Europe, these agreements reinforce an already old concern: can we entrust sensitive data to American companies when they also work with the national security apparatus of the United States?
The question is not theoretical. The CLOUD Act allows American authorities to request certain data from American companies, even if that data is located outside the United States. This is one of the arguments that pushes European countries to look for local alternatives. France has already announced the transfer of its Health Data Hub from Microsoft Azure to Scaleway, a French cloud player.
But Europe is moving forward with one leg shorter than the other. Scaleway, OVHCloud, Qwant or Ecosia show that another path exists. However, these players remain tiny compared to AWS, Google Cloud, Azure or Google Search. Digital sovereignty cannot be declared in a press release. It requires servers, talents, budgets and above all daily uses. Discover also the trading of the future.
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