In this post, Scott Alexander examines the legal and contractual implications of the Department of War's "all lawful use" demand for AI systems, breaking down what US law actually permits regarding mass domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons, and why the phrase "lawful use" provides far less protection than most people assume.
00:00 - Introduction
02:42 - Mass domestic surveillance: more than you wanted to know
08:59 - Autonomous weapons: more than you wanted to know
13:21 - Comments on OpenAI’s FAQ
17:51 - Questions that you should be asking
