On Friday May 1st 2026 the Pentagon announced deals with seven of the largest AI companies in the world - OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Nvidia, SpaceX, and Reflection AI - to integrate their systems into the most classified military networks in existence.

The stated goal: an AI-first fighting force.

I recorded this the same day it happened. It’s dropping today, Sunday May 3rd because it couldn’t wait until Monday.

That’s what Side Quest Sunday is for.

Your humble Player 1 ventures off the main quest to examine a topic that couldn’t sit. Today that topic is the Pentagon, seven AI companies, classified networks, one company that got blacklisted for asking a very reasonable question, and the Terminator franchise which I promise is more relevant than it sounds.

No tinfoil. No doom. Just the receipts. And a lot of questions the press release didn’t answer.

New episodes every Monday and Thursday. Side Quest Sunday drops when it needs to.

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SHOW NOTES

Average Joe Nerdcast | Side Quest Sunday

"The Pentagon Did What?! A.I., Classified Networks, and the Question Nobody Answered"

The announcement-May 1, 2026:

• Washington Post - “Pentagon strikes AI deals for classified military use”

• CNN - “Pentagon strikes deals with 7 Big Tech companies after shunning Anthropic”

• The Hill - “Pentagon reaches deal with leading AI companies for classified work”

• Nextgov/FCW - “Pentagon makes agreements with 7 companies to add AI to classified networks”

• Al Jazeera - “Pentagon announces deal with seven AI companies for classified systems”

• Official Pentagon press release - war.gov

The Anthropic situation:

• Las Vegas Sun - “Skynet ambitions are at odds with the Constitution” Feb 18 2026

• Lawfare - “Blame the Pentagon, Not AI, for Preventable Targeting Mistakes” April 2026

• Digital Strategy AI - “AI Politics in 2026: 7 Crucial Lessons From Pentagon Deals” March 2026

The elementary school strike:

• Lawfare - March 2026 Iranian elementary school strike - documented

Autonomous weapons / Replicator:

• Task & Purpose - “The Pentagon is facing hard decisions about letting AI weapons kill”

• Pentagon Replicator program - documented

The Terminator:

• The Terminator (1984) - James Cameron

• Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) - James Cameron

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