Google Follows OpenAI In Expanding Pentagon AI Access After Anthropic Refusal – Is AI Ethics Taking A Back Seat?

By Gina Marrs for TechRound
Thursday, April 30, 2026

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Nowa days, AI is infrastructure and increasingly, it’s geopolitical infrastructure too – not just a product.

Is This Really An Ethics Issue?

Not everyone agrees that this shift represents a clear ethical failure at all. Dr. Ilia Kolochenko, CEO of ImmuniWeb, argues that the conversation around AI ethics is often blurred with legality. In his view, labelling these decisions as unethical may be “an overkill”, particularly when existing legal frameworks already govern the use of such technologies.

There’s also a pragmatic argument at play. Governments, particularly those with significant resources like the US, will inevitably gain access to advanced AI systems. The question, then, is not whether they will use AI, but whose AI they will use and under what oversight.

From that perspective, keeping development within regulated, domestic ecosystems may actually be seen as the more controlled option.

Dr. Ilia Kolochenko, CEO of ImmuniWeb

“While the decision might appear somewhat controversial at the first sight, calling it a violation of ethics is an overkill.

“First, it is paramount to give a proper definition to ethics in AI and what distinguishes ethics from law and legality. On one hand, some acts might be perfectly lawful but repugnant to most of us. On the other hand, some forms of a human conduct are prohibited by law but may be endorsed by many people.

“Ethics in AI seems to be deeply intertwined with law and its principles, therefore, unless there is a violation of law, I would not call any AI-related decisions unethical unless there are some special circumstances about it. Of note, we have a plethora of existing laws and regulations that cover both use and misuse of AI, so we don’t need AI-specific laws, like the EU AI Act, to assess the legality and thus ethics of AI-related conduct.

“Second, the Pentagon has ample resources to procure the most powerful AI models that they need, be it OpenAI or any other American or foreign companies. Therefore, it is arguably better to provide Pentagon with access to US-made models, which may be subject to regulatory oversight and safeguards to prevent illicit use. Most other AI vendors will likely follow the decision and collaborate with the military in their home countries.” Read Full Article