OpenAI's decision to partner with the US Department of Defense has sparked intense backlash, with users and employees alike condemning the company's willingness to facilitate AI-powered surveillance. The controversy erupted after rival Anthropic refused to compromise on its restrictions against using its AI for surveillance and autonomous weapons systems, leaving an opening for OpenAI to fill. In response to widespread criticism, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledged that the initial agreement was opportunistic1. The fallout has been significant, with reports indicating a nearly 300% increase in ChaptGPT uninstalls following the announcement. This development underscores a critical shift in the threat model, from criminal to geopolitical, requiring a new approach to mitigating risks. So what matters to practitioners is that state-aligned activity involving OpenAI demands a distinct playbook, one that accounts for the complexities of geopolitical surveillance and its far-reaching implications.