From Project Maven to Operation Sindoor: AI's new role in war

The Pentagon's artificial intelligence ambitions have quietly evolved from the contested Project Maven into a far more expansive military operation, one that defense officials are now openly describing as essential to modern warfare. What began as a drone-targeting initiative that triggered employee revolts at tech companies has matured into a sprawling ecosystem of AI weapons systems operating across multiple theaters, raising urgent questions about whether democratic oversight has kept pace with the technology's reach. As geopolitical tensions sharpen between superpowers, the stakes of getting AI warfare wrong have never been higher—yet the public conversation about it has largely moved behind closed doors.

Frontline Magazine·Jul 1