a16z · 2026-03-04 · 92d

Emil Michael on AI Vendor Lock-in and Military Deployment Strategy

Emil Michael, Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, discusses critical vulnerabilities in DoD AI contracts including vendor lock-in risks, restrictive terms of service, and the need for multi-vendor strategies. He argues that democratic oversight and lawful authority must dictate military AI use, not vendor terms, while addressing bureaucratic barriers to technology deployment.

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Metrics in this report

AI Researchers in Ecosystem

1000count

approximately

Valuable researchers trading amongst frontier AI companies

DoD Personnel Impacted

3000000people

directly

Department of War personnel affected by AI policy decisions

Failed Program Cost Overrun

2000000000$

minimum

Additional cost in change orders for failed implementations

Failed Program Extension

3years

minimum

Additional development time for cost-plus contract failures

Frontier AI Companies

4count

identified

Companies capable of serving national security with frontier AI models

RFP Requirements (Legacy)

1000count

typical

Traditional DoD requirements per RFP document

US Population Impacted

350000000people

indirectly

US citizens affected by defense AI deployment decisions