WASHINGTON – In a move signaling a sharp escalation of tensions between the White House and Silicon Valley, President Donald Trump has ordered all U.S. Government agencies to cease using technology developed by Anthropic, a leading artificial intelligence firm. The decision, announced Friday, follows a dispute over the Pentagon’s demand for unrestricted access to Anthropic’s AI capabilities for military applications.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth subsequently designated Anthropic a national security “supply-chain risk,” a designation typically reserved for foreign entities deemed a threat to U.S. Interests. Hegseth stated on social media that the move would prevent defense contractors from utilizing Anthropic’s AI, declaring, “America’s warfighters will never be held hostage by the ideological whims of Big Tech.”
The conflict centers on Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s refusal to concede to Pentagon demands that the company’s AI not be restricted in its potential uses. Amodei insisted on safeguards preventing the deployment of AI for mass civilian surveillance or the development of lethal autonomous weapons systems – those capable of making battlefield targeting decisions without human intervention. “Some uses of AI are simply outside the bounds of what today’s technology can safely and reliably do,” Amodei said in a statement Wednesday.
Anthropic’s Claude AI is currently used by the Department of Defense, including within the “Maven Smart System,” reportedly utilized in the planning and execution of military operations, such as the January operation targeting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The administration’s actions suggest the dispute extends beyond specific concerns about AI safety and touches on a broader power struggle over control of advanced technology.
The administration’s stance has drawn criticism from within the AI industry. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, issued a memo to staff stating his company shares Anthropic’s “red lines” regarding the ethical deployment of AI. More than 400 employees at Google and OpenAI have signed an open letter expressing solidarity with Anthropic and opposing the Department of Defense’s position.
Hegseth has granted Anthropic a six-month period to remove its AI from Pentagon systems. The administration has stated it does not intend to utilize AI for mass surveillance of the U.S. Population or unsupervised autonomous weapons. However, the forceful response to Anthropic suggests a determination to prevent technology companies from dictating terms to the government, even when those terms align with stated policy objectives.
Anthropic has indicated it intends to legally challenge Hegseth’s designation as a supply chain risk, calling the action “legally unsound” and unprecedented for a U.S. Company. The outcome of this challenge, and the broader implications for the Pentagon’s “AI-First” strategy, remain uncertain.
