US Military’s AI-Driven Targeting in the Iran War Faces Legal Scrutiny

The United States used AI tools—Anthropic’s Claude and Palantir’s Maven—to propose strike targets. The February airstrike on an Iranian elementary school killed at least 168 children; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth affirmed that human commanders make final lethal decisions.

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The Pentagon’s 2020 directive required “appropriate levels of judgment” for autonomous weapons, reaffirmed in a 2023 order that keeps human operators in the loop. Analysts say AI compresses the OODA (observe-orient-decide-act) cycle, speeding decisions.

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Pentagon AI chief Cameron Stanley, former deputy legal counsel Gary Corn, Special Operations adviser Cory Simpson, contractors Anthropic and Palantir, and Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla with successor Brad Cooper oversee Central Command targeting.

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The February strike killed at least 168 children, per Iranian state media. The AI-supported system processes tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of data points and can prosecute over a thousand targets per 24-hour period.

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The Department of Defense says AI use complies with the law of armed conflict and humanitarian law. The 2023 directive requires autonomous systems to permit commanders to exercise “appropriate levels of human judgment.” Pentagon officials say the chain of command, not the software, is accountable.

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Democrats seek answers on AI’s role in the school strike. Anthropic’s CEO asked for usage limits, dismissed by Hegseth as ideological. Gary Corn warns AI deployment threatens predictability, against adversaries ignoring civilian protection. Legal scholars say autonomous systems cannot yet make moral judgments on collateral damage.

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Investigators have not confirmed whether AI contributed to the February school strike. The Pentagon probe will examine if reliance on intelligence, including AI-derived output, was reasonable. Lack of legal limits on AI’s role in the kill chain leaves the issue unresolved.

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• “We follow the law and humans make decisions,” — Pete Hegseth, Defense Secretary

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• “AI is exponentially increasing” the speed at which commanders and their support staff will have to navigate OODA loops in battle, said Cory Simpson, a former legal adviser to US Special Operations Command.” — Cory Simpson, former legal adviser to US Special Operations Command

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• “The story is ultimately one of how fast you choose to — or can afford not to — run with scissors,” — Gary Corn, former deputy legal counsel, Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

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The Pentagon investigation of the school strike continues. Lawmakers may pursue oversight or legislation to clarify “appropriate levels of human judgment.” The Department of Defense is expected to review the 2023 AI directive to address identified gaps.

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