Pentagon Gives Anthropic Friday Ultimatum to Drop AI Safeguards
The U.S. Defense Department has issued a stark ultimatum to artificial intelligence company Anthropic, demanding it remove key ethical safeguards from its AI systems by Friday or face forced compliance. The dispute centers on Anthropic's restrictions, which prevent its flagship technology, Claude, from being used for mass domestic surveillance or in autonomous weapons systems that can kill without human intervention. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is leading the charge, arguing the military requires access to the technology for all lawful purposes, including potential applications in missile defense. Anthropic, founded by former OpenAI executives, has firmly rejected the Pentagon's demand. The company stated it 'cannot in good conscience' disable these guardrails, setting the stage for a high-stakes public showdown with the Trump administration. A senior Pentagon official told NBC News that failure to comply would result in the government forcing cooperation, while TechCrunch reports the company risks potential penalties that could damage its business and investor confidence in defense tech. The conflict has grown increasingly acrimonious. US Undersecretary for Defense Emil Michael personally attacked Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, accusing him of wanting to 'personally control the US Military' and being 'ok putting our nation's safety at risk.' In an interview with CBS News, Michael defended the Pentagon's position, stating, 'At some level, you have to trust your military to do the right thing.' As the Friday deadline looms, the Pentagon has begun assessing its supply chain's exposure to Anthropic, signaling a possible move to designate the AI firm a national security risk.
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Sources
Following weeks of tension between the Defense Department and Anthropic over the company’s restrictions on how the military can use its products, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a stark ultimatum to company CEO Dario Amodei on Tuesday: allow the AI technology to be used for all legal military purposes by this Friday or be forced to cooperate, a senior Pentagon official told NBC News...
A representative of the Defense Department could not be reached for comment. Emil Michael, the US Undersecretary for Defense, personally attacked Amodei on Thursday night, writing on X that the executive "wants nothing more than to try to personally control the US Military and is ok putting our nation's safety at risk." In an interview with CBS News, Michael said: "At some level, you have to trust your military to do the right thing." The uses of AI ...
Anthropic vs the Pentagon: Why AI firm is taking on Trump administration | Government News | Al Jazeera
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ... Reuters news agencies reported on Tuesday, quoting unnamed sources. But Anthropic is refusing to back down over safeguards which prevent its technology from being used to conduct US domestic surveillance and to programme autonomous weapons which can hit targets without human intervention. Anthropic is an AI company founded in 2021 by former OpenAI executives. It was the first AI developer to be used in classified operations by the US Defense Department, which is ...
Anthropic refuses to bend to Pentagon on AI safeguards as dispute nears deadline - ABC News
A public showdown between the Trump administration and Anthropic is hitting an impasse as military officials demand the artificial intelligence company bend its ethical policies by Friday or risk damaging its business
Anthropic says it ‘cannot in good conscience’ allow Pentagon to remove AI checks | US military | The Guardian
The Pentagon has demanded that Anthropic turn off safety guardrails and allow any lawful use of Claude, while Anthropic has pushed back against allowing Claude to be used for mass domestic surveillance or in autonomous weapons systems that can kill people without human input. After months of dispute ...
On Wednesday, Axios reported that the Pentagon has taken the first step toward potentially designating Anthropic a supply chain risk, requesting assessments from defense contractors Boeing and Lockheed Martin about their “exposure” to Anthropic’s products. The dispute raises a variety ...
The Pentagon has given Anthropic until Friday to loosen AI guardrails or face potential penalties, escalating a high-stakes dispute that raises questions about government leverage, vendor dependence, and investor confidence in defense tech.
Pentagon official lashes out at Anthropic as talks break down: "You have to trust your military to do the right thing" - CBS News
The Pentagon's top technology official told CBS News the military has offered compromises to Anthropic, amid a feud over whether its powerful AI technology will be restricted — but Anthropic called the offer inadequate.
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