OpenAI Strikes Pentagon Deal Amid Rival Anthropic's Removal
OpenAI has entered into an agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense to deploy its artificial intelligence models on the military's classified networks. The announcement, made by CEO Sam Altman via a social media post late Friday, comes just hours after former President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies to phase out the use of technology from Anthropic, one of OpenAI's main competitors. The timing of the twin developments highlights the rapidly shifting landscape for AI companies seeking government contracts. In the wake of the announcement, Sam Altman moved to clarify the nature of the partnership, emphasizing that it includes 'technical safeguards' designed to address ethical concerns. This appears to be a direct response to the issues that became a flashpoint for Anthropic, which had expressed its own ethical red lines regarding military applications of AI. An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed to CNN that the company shares many of the same concerns as its rival, particularly regarding the permissible uses of its technology. Altman defended the deal publicly, stating that the technology is 'super important' for national security and that the company aims to 'help de-escalate' tensions through its work with the Pentagon. The agreement signals a significant, albeit carefully managed, foray by OpenAI into the defense sector, contrasting sharply with the fate of Anthropic, which was effectively blacklisted by the Trump administration on the same day.
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Sources
OpenAI to work with Pentagon after Anthropic dropped by Trump over company’s ethics concerns | OpenAI | The Guardian
OpenAI said it had struck a deal with the Pentagon to supply AI to classified US military networks, hours after Donald Trump ordered the government to stop using the services of one of the company’s main competitors.
OpenAI strikes deal with Pentagon hours after Trump admin bans Anthropic | CNN Business
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced late Friday that the company had signed a deal with the Pentagon for its AI tools to be used in the military’s classified systems, but with seemingly similar guardrails rival Anthropic had also requested.
OpenAI said late Friday night it reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense to deploy its large language models onto military classified networks. See Also: New Trend in Federal Cybersecurity: Streamlining Efficiency with a Holistic IT Approach · The announcement, made by company CEO Sam Altman on social media network X, came hours after President Donald Trump instructed federal agencies to cease using AI ...
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