Anthropic Stands Firm Against Demands for Its Technology by the Pentagon

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei refuses to bend to pressure from Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth regarding how its artificial intelligence (AI) technology is used—with alleged requests to allow Claude usage for mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons.

Hegseth gave Amodei an ultimatum to roll back the company’s AI safeguards or risk losing a $200 million Pentagon contract—threatening to remove Anthropic from its systems, designate them as a supply chain risk, and invoke the Defense Production Act to force the safeguards' removal.

“The contract language we received overnight from the Department of War made virtually no progress on preventing Claude's use for mass surveillance of Americans or in fully autonomous weapons," Anthropic said in a statement.

Further the company, “believe[s] AI can undermine, rather than defend, democratic values. Some uses are also simply outside the bounds of what today’s technology can safely and reliably do…. Regardless, these threats do not change our position: we cannot in good conscience accede to their request.”

Though the company would rather continue its work with the Department of Defense Anthropic said should the Department choose to offboard Anthropic, “it will work to enable a smooth transition to another provider, avoiding any disruption to ongoing military planning, operations, or other critical missions. Our models will be available on the expansive terms we have proposed for as long as required.”

In a move supporting Anthropic’s decision, more than 300 employees from Google and OpenAI have signed an open letter stating their solidarity with Anthropic in limiting the use of advanced AI for domestic surveillance or fully autonomous warfare.

The letter states, “the Pentagon is negotiating with Google and OpenAI to try to get them to agree to what Anthropic has refused. They're trying to divide each company with fear that the other will give in. That strategy only works if none of us know where the others stand."

It calls on Google and OpenAI leadership to "put aside their differences and stand together" against the Pentagon's demands.