Emil Michael is the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering at the Pentagon. Michael joins Big Technology to discuss how AI is transforming the Department of War, from targeting systems to drone warfare to cyber defense. Tune in to hear his account of why the Pentagon designated Anthropic a supply chain risk, what actually happened in the contract negotiations, and whether the decision was wise. We also cover how the military's Maven Smart System works in practice, what the U.S. learned from drone warfare in Ukraine and Iran, and whether the Pentagon Pizza Index is credible. Hit play for one of the most candid conversations you'll hear about AI and national security. Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 0:39 How AI Changes Warfare 3:01 Maven Smart System 7:01 What LLMs Actually Do in the Military 11:29 Is Less Friction Dangerous? 14:30 Can AI Fundamentally Change War? 16:04 The China Threat 17:04 Will the Pentagon Use AI Agents? 21:18 Drone Warfare: Ukraine and Iran 27:53 AI and Cyber Warfare 29:32 The Anthropic Fight Explained 39:11 Could Anthropic Come Back? 51:42 The x.ai Stock Question 53:21 Fixing Pentagon Procurement 55:39 The Pentagon Pizza Index --- Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack + Discord? Here’s 25% off for the first year: https://www.bigtechnology.com/subscribe?coupon=0843016b