Google Gemini To Provide AI Capabilities To US Defense Workforce

(MENAFN- Live Mint) The Defense Department said it has chosen Alphabet Inc.'s Gemini for Government system to deliver artificial intelligence capability for its roughly three million civilian and military employees.

“The future of American warfare is here, and it's spelled AI,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a video posted to X on Tuesday, adding the software will help the military quickly analyze video and imagery.

Also Read | Project Aura first look: Google's Xreal-built glasses hint at its XR ambitions

The new platform, known as GenAI, is designed to usher in an“AI-driven culture change that will dominate the digital battlefield for years to come,” the Pentagon said in a statement.

In July, Alphabet's Google Cloud announced a $200 million contract to provide AI capabilities to the Department of Defense, with other prominent AI firms including OpenAI, Elon Musk's xAI and Anthropic PBC also receiving similar contracts.

Google already provides AI capabilities to the US Navy, Air Force and the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Unit.

Also Read | Google tests Gemini Live on desktop with screen sharing and live translation Google says first AI glasses with Gemini will arrive in 2026

Alphabet Inc.'s Google said it's working to create two different categories of artificial intelligence-powered smart glasses to compete next year with existing models from Meta Platforms Inc.: one with screens, and another that's audio focused.

The first AI glasses that Google is collaborating on will arrive sometime in 2026, it said in a blog post Monday. Samsung Electronics Co., Warby Parker and Gentle Monster are among its early hardware partners, but the companies have yet to show any final designs.

Google also outlined several software improvements coming to Samsung's Galaxy XR headset, including a travel mode that will allow the mixed-reality device to be used in cars and on planes.

Competition is heating up in the emerging category of AI and augmented reality, or AR, glasses. Meta has been the most prolific. It sells reasonably affordable glasses under the Ray-Ban and Oakley brands, which have been met with positive reviews and decent sales, and also recently introduced a more expensive pair with an integrated display. Snap Inc.'s first AR glasses for consumers are also set to debut next year, and Apple Inc. is plotting an entry into the space around the same time.

For Google, the new products - and its new Android XR operating system - represent a more refined, calculated approach to smart glasses compared with Google Glass, an ahead-of-its time product that flopped with consumers a decade ago due to its bizarre design, poor battery life and privacy concerns.

During a demo at one of Google's New York City offices, I was able to try several different pairs of prototype AI glasses along with an early sample of glasses the search giant is working on with Xreal, codenamed Project Aura.

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