The Department of Justice has moved to block an NAACP lawsuit challenging Elon Musk's AI company xAI over allegations that gas turbines powering its Mississippi data center risk polluting nearby communities. The lawsuit, filed by the civil-rights group, alleges that xAI and its subsidiary MZX Tech are violating the Clean Air Act by operating gas turbines without an air permit at the data center in Southaven, Mississippi.
Pentagon AI Chief Testifies
To support the argument, federal prosecutors presented testimony from Pentagon AI chief Cameron Stanley, who stated under oath that Grok is already in use within Project Maven, the US military's AI-assisted targeting program. In a sworn statement defending Elon Musk from the lawsuit, Stanley said the chatbot's continued operation is “a matter of paramount national security” and was used to fire more than “2,000 munitions at 2,000 distinct targets within 96 hours.”
Grok's Role in National Security
According to Stanley, Grok is among four AI models “currently capable of supporting national security applications.” It is also one of three products “equipped to support mission-critical operations” in top secret settings. The filing appears to be the first explicit admission from a Trump administration official that the government is using Musk's AI against Iran, joining several other AI systems under scrutiny after U.S.-led attacks killed hundreds of civilians.
Sworn Declaration Details
Stanley's declaration, filed in a Mississippi environmental lawsuit, outlines the critical role of xAI's Grok Gov Model in military operations. He states that the model is based on commercial Grok architecture and requires robust infrastructure, including the Colossus 2 supercomputer powered by the contested gas turbines. If the turbines are shut down, xAI would lose capacity to train and improve Grok, impairing the Department of War's ability to meet national security missions.
Stanley emphasized that the Department relies on xAI as a primary classified compute infrastructure provider. He warned that any impediment to commercial data center operations would diminish xAI's capacity to support current and future operations, compromising strategic computing reserves. The limited competition among frontier model vendors could also lead to unsustainable cost increases for the Department and American taxpayers.
