Israel Develops AI Military Chatbot “Genie” to Assist Battlefield Commanders
The Israeli army is testing a powerful AI chatbot named “Genie” to enhance real-time decision-making in combat operations using big data and natural language processing.
Watan-The Israeli occupation army has been working for about six months on developing an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot designed to help every combat commander improve their decision-making capabilities. The army chose the name “Genie” for the system, inspired by the magical genie from the tale of Aladdin, who emerges from a lamp to grant wishes.
According to Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper on Tuesday, the elite unit developing this system includes 20 carefully selected members from among the top performers in special military courses. In interviews with the unit’s leaders, they explain how the army is keeping pace with rapid developments in AI and how “Genie” works.
Genie”: AI Chatbot Revolutionizes Military Command Interfaces
The system’s interface, the paper describes, looks much like the homepage of ChatGPT or other modern AI-based chat platforms: a clean web page with a central text input box and the header “What are you interested in?”, along with additional options for searching and classifying sources.
The name “Genie” is no coincidence, reflecting the assistant’s fast, wish-granting nature. The chatbot, which is a computer program based on AI that can interact with humans, was launched a month ago as a web-based application within the Israeli military’s closed network, and its initial version is already in use across military operation rooms.
The technology allows a commander, who needs to make rapid decisions based on reliable information, to ask questions in natural language and receive detailed answers. Genie uses massive operational cloud data from the Israeli army, which is continuously updated. Like any advanced chatbot, it can detect anomalies, summarize events, and extract critical insights from this data.
Although the developers in the military communications unit emphasize that the current version is still an “early experience” and not yet reliable for official decision-making, initial feedback has been enthusiastic. Three specific operation rooms were selected to provide daily feedback, and the full version is expected to be ready in 3 to 4 months. A mobile version for military phones is also under development.
Inside “Text Factory”: The Startup-Style Unit Powering the IDF’s AI Revolution
The chatbot project is managed by a small division called the “Text Factory”, part of a larger unit known as “Matspan” (Military Command, Control, and Management Systems), which serves as the Israeli army’s central software center. Matspan is responsible for developing and operating computerized operational systems, and this sub-unit was only established six months ago.
“In Matspan, we operate just like a high-tech company. My unit runs like a startup,” said the head of the division, referred to by the letter D. “We have product and development managers, who assess user needs and guide them through the process. We also have client managers and development teams.”
D explained that the “clients” are all field units involved in military operations, equipped with fixed computers, tablets, and military cell phones in every operations room or command post. Speaking about the “Text Factory,” he noted:“The division was created to harness all the accumulated data across dozens of operational systems, each of which serves a specific task. For example, when a commander wants to know who was the first team to attack Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, they might ask: ‘Where can I even find that information?’ It’s hard to know which system holds the answer. This is inefficient. Our core belief is that if it’s not simple, it won’t be effective. We can’t burden commanders in the field with complex processes.”
He clarified that Genie is connected in real time to all operational systems—meaning that if a document is uploaded or updated in any of them, Genie is immediately updated as well.
The division head added that they are working hard to achieve the highest level of accuracy so that Genie does not provide false information, acknowledging that accuracy remains a major challenge.
“In any case, since we operate in a world that must be treated with sanctity and respect (referring to the army), we stress that Genie does not replace the human commander—it enhances the operational decision-making process. Furthermore, every answer Genie provides is always backed by citations from the sources it relied on.”
