US Politics
Anthropic AI defies Pentagon over expanded military use of its tech despite Hegseth blacklist threat
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Artificial Intelligence company Anthropic has refused to comply with the Pentagon’s request to lift safeguards on its model so it can be used in further military operations – amid threats of being blacklisted by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The model, named Claude, which was used earlier this year in the successful capture of former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, is the only one currently running in the military’s classified systems.
However, Anthropic has refused to lift protections on Claude so it can be used for “all legal purposes,” prompting the department to ask major contractors Boeing and Lockheed Martin to provide assessments of their reliance on the model.
Such assessments are usually reserved for foreign tech companies and are the first step towards designation as a “supply chain risk.”
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei on Thursday said the company “cannot in good conscience” agree to the move.
“It is the Department’s prerogative to select contractors most aligned with their vision,” Amodei wrote in a statement. “But given the substantial value that Anthropic’s technology provides to our armed forces, we hope they reconsider.”
A spokesperson for Lockheed Martin confirmed to Axios that the Pentagon contacted the company regarding its use and exposure to Anthropic ahead of “a potential supply chain risk declaration.”
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“We sought their partnership [previously] and ultimately could not come to an agreement. They were somewhat reluctant to work with the defense industry,” a Boeing spokesperson told the outlet.
A source told Axios that the Defense Department plans to reach out to all its major military contractors about their use of Claude.
Anthropic has refused to lift its safeguards, in particular allowing Claude to be used for the mass surveillance of Americans or to develop weapons that fire without human involvement – which Pentagon higher-ups have denied will happen.
Following a tense meeting on Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave the company a deadline of 5 p.m. on Friday to decide whether to agree to their terms or risk the consequences.
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As well as designating Anthropic as a supply chain risk, the government could also cancel its contract or invoke a Cold War-era law called the Defense Production Act to give the military more sweeping authority to use its products, even if the company doesn’t approve.
Top Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Thursday on X that the department wants to “use Anthropic’s model for all lawful purposes” but didn’t offer details on what that entailed. He said opening up use of the technology would prevent the company from “jeopardizing critical military operations.”
“We will not let ANY company dictate the terms regarding how we make operational decisions,” he said.
The Independent has reached out to the Pentagon and Anthropic for comment.
