OpenAI is shifting its focus towards military and defense contracts, having recently removed prohibitive language from its policies regarding military use of its technologies.

The company's GPT-4 model is now part of a partnership with Microsoft and Palantir to provide AI services specifically for U.S. defense and intelligence agencies.

In addition to this partnership, OpenAI has teamed up with Carahsoft to potentially secure work with the Department of Defense, amidst reports of 83 active defense contracts related to generative AI.

This shift has raised concerns about the implications of AI in military applications, drawing comparisons to the ethical debates surrounding nuclear weapons.

Palantir, known for its military contracts and controversial surveillance technologies, has raised red flags within the tech community regarding its role in defense.

Meanwhile, Amazon's cloud computing unit, AWS, is investing $500 million in nuclear energy projects to support its AI services, aligning itself with other tech giants exploring similar initiatives.

On a different front, Mistral has launched AI models designed for use on laptops and phones, catering to the growing demand for privacy-first applications.

The head of the Open Source Initiative has criticized Meta for its use of the term 'open source' in relation to its AI models, arguing it confuses the public.

Recent assessments have shown that major AI models, including OpenAI's GPT-3.5 Turbo, scored poorly in compliance with the EU AI Act, particularly in terms of discriminatory output.

OpenAI has also made significant hires recently, including Sebastian Bubeck from Microsoft and Dane Stuckey as Chief Information Security Officer after a decade at Palantir.

This trend of tech companies engaging with military contracts is not new; Google faced employee protests in 2018 over its pursuit of such contracts, highlighting the contentious nature of these relationships.

Despite OpenAI's claims to prohibit its technologies for weapons, its recent actions suggest a willingness to explore military applications.