The Pentagon has issued a deadline of 5:01 p.m. ET on Friday for Anthropic to comply with its request to eliminate safeguards in the AI model Claude. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that failure to comply could result in the removal of Claude from U.S. military systems or label Anthropic as a “supply chain risk.” This designation has never been applied to an American company before.
CEO Dario Amodei of Anthropic stated that the company cannot agree to the Pentagon's demands due to ethical concerns. The company, which holds a $200 million contract with the Department of Defense, noted that the Pentagon's latest proposal included language that could undermine existing safeguards, which are crucial in the ongoing negotiations.
Anthropic emphasized its commitment to supporting national security while maintaining essential protections to prevent mass domestic surveillance. The company highlighted the potential for government access to sensitive data, such as Americans' movements and online activities, without a warrant, raising significant privacy concerns.
Despite the pressure from the Pentagon, Anthropic remains firm in its stance against the removal of these critical safeguards, ensuring that it will continue its collaboration with military and intelligence agencies.