In 2025, the U.S. military treated artificial intelligence less like a lab experiment and more like a daily tool. The biggest change was not a single new robot or “autonomous” breakthrough. It was a steady push to turn data into speed, so units can plan faster, fix gear sooner, and make decisions with clearer information. That shift showed up in Pentagon-level work to accelerate fielding and govern how AI is used, plus branch-specific efforts aimed at real problems like maintenance backlogs,