Posted on 04/13/2026 9:25:34 PM PDT by SmokingJoe
NEWS: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to adopt Grok.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says it’s “proud” to move forward with a plan to deploy xAI’s Grok across the agency.
The USDA is also sponsoring Grok for federal approval, calling it a step toward equipping its workforce with the most capable AI available.
A major win for xAI.
(Source: Fast Company)
(Excerpt) Read more at x.com ...
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Isn’t Grok, Shrek’s cousin? Oh well. I guessveven green monsters need adopting.
Can the Department of War be far behind? Having jettisoned Claude, Grok is the best candidate for replacement.
Definitely a big win for xAI. There is however a reason that the DoW had selected Anthropic’s Claude in the first place.
Really sad that government and Anthropic couldn’t come to an agreement, and I should also say that this is one area I support Anthropic against government.
Why?
Because government’s change.
While we may be ok with President Trump’s administration being flexible on AI safety restrictions, autonomous weapon capabilities, and mass surveillance (including domestic); we should all remain cognizant that President Trump is not immortal and the GOP does lose elections. Some day there will be an Obama-type, and we may not be as comfortable with him/her/it having such leeway.
Someday ‘the other guy’ will be elected and things we were totally comfortable ‘our guy’ having will be toxic to us then. Policies and precedent outlive administrations.
Just for clarity: I personally do not believe that ANY administration should have ability for mass domestic surveillance. Yes, President Trump is our guy, but he (and the people around him) are human beings. Like any human, they have failings. The ability for mass domestic surveillance is dangerous, and even if some may think our guy cannot do us wrong (he is human), what do they say when a Democrat eventually gets elected ...
AI does not do surveillance itself. It can analyze data gathered by a surveillance system. It can ingest that data and do all its AI things with it. But it can't gather it. That's the job of cameras, wire-taps, MITM network attacks, packet sniffers, etc. All of which already exist and have been in operation for many years, and they are constantly improving.
1. We Americans are already under near-complete surveillance now. Don't kid yourself.
2. AI is already in use analyzing surveillance data. That's not going away.
3. The Pentagon tells its vendors what it wants. The vendors do not get to tell the Pentagon how to use it. America has enemies with similar or better surveillance and AI tools and arguably fewer moral scruples. The Pentagon is tasked with fighting those enemies, and they need every capability they can get their hands on.
Am I personally happy with that state of affairs? No, but it's the reality we're in. Whether the current or a future administration makes use of data gathering and AI analysis tools is a given. It's happening and will continue to happen. Because the alternative is defeat by our enemies, and ultimately, slavery to a system that's a lot worse than the one we have. sigh.
I fully understand your position, and I am very clear-eyed that there is a difference between reality and what would be perfect. It is also very clear that adversaries like China have absolutely zero restrictions (on anything, ranging from AI to bloody bio-weapons) and thus I cannot be naive on the need for the Good Guys to be ahead of the Bad Guys. So, I get your view and even agree with it.
It is just sad because that is the way all of us will be enslaved. Things will slowly creep in one direction until, one day, we wake up and it’s unrecognizable from what was.
As an example, look at culture and politics.
You may laugh at this, but what if I told you that President Kennedy was more Conservative than any Republican president we have had in at least three decades?
It may seem funny, but it’s no joke.
That is the outcome of creep. Slowly, the country has shifted Left. Things that were unacceptable, even anathema, are now ‘normal.’
You see this even on FR: when I joined a couple decades ago, there was a lot of decorum. Sure, every now and then someone would lose it (and get zotted), but generally things were genteel. Nowadays, if someone does not agree with something you posted they will often turn to insults.
Going back to AI, we will need to fully plug in to fight our enemies, we will lose elements of privacy for the greater good, and it will all make 100% sense (maybe more like 80%). We will make salient arguments on why it’s the only choice we have. Solid arguments that make perfect sense.
…then, some day, we will wake up and realize what was lost.
Look how they're acting about voter reform - they're AGAINST citizens showing an ID to vote. Is that nuts or what? A person has to show an ID to get into Congress or into Disney World...
Don't defend them - don't fall for their sob stories and lies. Black citizens are just as capable of having an ID as any other citizens.
bk
Grok is still woke. I asked it if black women commit more murders than white men per capita. It gave me the correct answer (yes), but then went into a multi page rationalization for it (poverty, single mothers, gangs, etc.) Another AI told me no and then gave me the numbers that totally contradicted its answer.
I’m guessing AI should be eliminated. Just a personal opinion as I admittedly do not understand any actual good that it does.
I've made that same observation about JFK here and elsewhere in the past. It's true.
Nations and societies undergo changes, some subtle, others drastic, the most drastic being when they're invaded and/or conquered. America is undergoing just such a change. It started slowly in the 1960's when Cloward-Piven was published, and it's been accelerating for 6 decades into what is now a fever pitch.
Most of it is internal, but the driving forces include external influences, and of course the recent invasions from the south and Africa are the most obvious.
I think America is past the point where a peaceful recovery is possible. At this point the only recovery is likely to be violent. That saddens me tremendously. I'm 74 and may not live to see that conflict, but my daughter might, and I pray that she survives it.
Elimination of AI is not an option; it's as ingrained as computers and cell phones and just as highly addictive. There's no reason why the nations of the world would give it up, and who among them would try to force that?
What good is AI? Consider what distinguishes human beings from other animals, with regard to "intelligence". Observation, analysis of what is observed, pattern identification, problem solving, correlation of diverse data into a coherent set that aids understanding, and so forth.
AI does all those things, 1000 times faster than any human being can, and it's become about as accurate as most people, and it's improving at a fast rate.
Is that "good"? That's an excellent question, with moral and ethical implications. I don't know.
I fully agree that everyone should have voter ID. It is a common-sense measure that should be enforced to the fullest to ensure only those eligible to vote can vote.
With that out of the way, I am still cautious about mass domestic surveillance super-charges by ever-evolving AI capabilities (Anthropic’s Mythos, for example, appears to be exceedingly capable) and the potential ramifications of such a tool in the wrong hands. Totally separate from the voter ID point (where I believe we are aligned), and Dems cheating with any system presented to them (also fully aligned with you that it is their nature to try and manipulate anything in their hands).
My point, however, was that certain tools would have greater significance and impact than others.
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