Tags: Department of Defense

Google has entered a classified agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense that lets the Pentagon use the company’s artificial‑intelligence models for any lawful government purpose. The deal, reported by The Information, comes just a day after more than 560 Google engineers signed an open letter urging CEO Sundar Pichai to refuse such military contracts. Unlike an earlier Anthropic pact that barred mass surveillance and fully autonomous weapons, Google’s terms contain no ethical carve‑outs. The move adds the tech giant to a short list of AI firms supplying unrestricted AI capability to the U.S. military. Weiterlesen

The National Security Agency has begun using Mythos Preview, Anthropic’s advanced AI model that the company kept out of public release. The move follows a clash with the Department of Defense, which had labeled Anthropic a supply‑chain risk after the firm refused unrestricted Pentagon access to its tools. Anthropic limited Mythos to roughly 40 vetted organizations, naming only a handful publicly; the NSA is now among the undisclosed users, employing the model to scan for exploitable cyber vulnerabilities. The development coincides with a tentative thaw in Anthropic’s ties to the Trump administration, highlighted by a recent meeting with senior White House officials. Weiterlesen

Anthropic’s newest AI model, Claude Mythos Preview, is being pitched as a cyber‑security tool that can spot vulnerabilities in major software platforms. The rollout follows months of acrimonious exchanges with the Trump administration, which branded the company a “radical left, woke” threat to national security. With Apple, Nvidia and JPMorgan Chase already on board, and senior officials reportedly briefed on the model’s capabilities, Anthropic appears to be rebuilding bridges with the Pentagon, the White House and other agencies. Weiterlesen

Sam Altman, chief executive of OpenAI, called on the Pentagon and Anthropic to stop the growing clash over AI use in national security. In a recent interview, Altman said the technology’s geopolitical weight demands government oversight and a collaborative approach, warning that unchecked competition could jeopardize both safety and innovation. Weiterlesen

Anthropic’s AI chatbot Claude is experiencing record growth in paid consumer subscriptions, driven by high‑profile Super Bowl ads, new developer tools, and a controversial feud with the Department of Defense. Analysis of anonymized credit‑card data from roughly 28 million U.S. consumers shows a sharp increase in new “Pro” tier subscribers at $20 per month, while existing users also returned in large numbers. Despite the surge, Claude remains behind OpenAI’s ChatGPT in overall consumer market share. Weiterlesen

A federal judge in San Francisco issued a temporary injunction that stops the Department of Defense from labeling AI firm Anthropic as a supply‑chain risk. The order restores the situation to before the Pentagon’s directives that limited the use of Anthropic’s Claude AI tools across federal agencies. While the ruling does not compel the military to continue using Anthropic’s technology, it prevents the agency from relying on the contested designation as a basis for further action. The decision is a significant legal boost for Anthropic as it continues to challenge the administration’s sanctions. Weiterlesen

The Department of Defense has argued that allowing Anthropic continued access to its warfighting infrastructure would introduce an unacceptable risk to supply chains and national security. In a court filing responding to Anthropic's lawsuit over a supply‑chain risk designation, the Pentagon cited concerns that the company could disable or alter its AI models during operations if corporate “red lines” were crossed. The filing notes that the agency’s secretary, Pete Hegseth, included a provision in AI contracts permitting use for any lawful purpose, which Anthropic refused, prompting the department to label the partnership unsafe. Weiterlesen

After a contentious split, the Pentagon is developing its own large‑language‑model tools to replace Anthropic's AI. The Department of Defense announced engineering work on multiple LLMs for government‑owned environments and expects operational use soon. Anthropic's $200 million contract collapsed over disputes about unrestricted access, mass‑surveillance prohibitions, and autonomous weapon use. While OpenAI and Elon Musk’s xAI have secured separate agreements with the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth labeled Anthropic a supply‑chain risk, a restriction that Anthropic is now challenging in court. Weiterlesen

Google is rolling out its Gemini AI agents to the U.S. Department of Defense, initially on unclassified networks. The agents will automate tasks such as summarizing meetings, building budgets, and checking actions against the national defense strategy. Defense personnel can also create custom agents using natural language. The rollout follows a rapid expansion of Pentagon AI partnerships and comes despite earlier internal resistance to military AI projects. Google’s AI chatbot on the GenAI.mil portal has already seen widespread adoption among Defense employees. Weiterlesen

Anthropic has filed a lawsuit in a California district court alleging that the U.S. government illegally labeled the AI firm as a supply‑chain risk and ordered all federal agencies to stop using its technology. The company claims the designation, issued by the Trump administration, violates its First and Fifth Amendment rights and exceeds executive authority. The suit follows a series of agency cutoffs, including the General Services Administration terminating its contract, and a broader controversy over the Pentagon’s use of Anthropic’s AI models. Anthropic says it will challenge the designation in court while its major partners continue limited collaborations. Weiterlesen

Anthropic executives say the U.S. Department of Defense's designation of the AI startup as a supply‑chain risk has caused customers to pause or cancel deals, threatening hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. The company has filed lawsuits alleging free‑speech violations and unfair discrimination, while major cloud providers have pledged to continue offering Anthropic’s tools outside of Pentagon work. Executives warn the fallout could undermine market confidence and jeopardize future fundraising. Weiterlesen

Caitlin Kalinowski, OpenAI's robotics hardware lead, announced her resignation on X, citing the company's partnership with the Department of Defense as lacking necessary safeguards. She warned that surveillance of Americans without judicial oversight and lethal autonomous systems merit more deliberation. OpenAI confirmed the departure, emphasizing its commitment to responsible national‑security uses of AI and reaffirming red lines against domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons. The resignation highlights internal dissent surrounding OpenAI's defense collaboration and broader debates on AI governance. Weiterlesen

Major cloud and software providers Microsoft, Google, and Amazon have confirmed that Anthropic's Claude model will remain available to their customers for non‑defense workloads, despite the U.S. Department of Defense designating Anthropic as a supply‑chain risk. The designation, triggered by Anthropic's refusal to provide unrestricted access for certain military applications, does not affect the model's use in commercial or civilian projects. The companies say they will continue offering Claude through platforms such as Microsoft 365, Google Cloud, and AWS, and Anthropic plans to contest the designation in court. Weiterlesen

Anthropic's $200 million Department of Defense contract fell apart over a clause allowing unrestricted military use of its AI. After the Pentagon turned to OpenAI, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei resumed talks with Pentagon official Emil Michael to seek a compromise that would limit uses such as domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons. Both sides have exchanged sharp criticism, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has threatened to label Anthropic a supply‑chain risk, a move that could bar the company from future military‑related work. Weiterlesen

Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei is back at the negotiating table with the U.S. Department of Defense after talks collapsed over the Pentagon’s demand for unrestricted access to the company’s Claude AI models. The renewed discussions aim to prevent a supply‑chain‑risk designation that could bar Anthropic from future defense work. The dispute centers on the department’s push for open‑use language and Anthropic’s refusal to compromise on two red lines: prohibiting mass surveillance of Americans and banning lethal autonomous weapons without human oversight. Weiterlesen

Anthropic co‑founder and CEO Dario Amodei publicly criticized OpenAI chief Sam Altman, labeling the company’s messaging about its new Department of Defense contract as “straight up lies.” Amodei highlighted Anthropic’s refusal to grant unrestricted military use of its AI, citing concerns over domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons, and contrasted it with OpenAI’s approach, which he described as “safety theater.” The dispute has drawn public attention and amplified scrutiny of AI firms’ defense partnerships. Weiterlesen

U.S. users removed the ChatGPT mobile app at a dramatically higher rate following OpenAI's announced partnership with the Department of Defense, while Anthropic's Claude saw a sharp increase in downloads after the company publicly declined a similar deal. Market‑intelligence data show a 295% day‑over‑day rise in ChatGPT uninstalls and a 37% to 51% boost in Claude downloads, reflecting strong consumer reactions to the contrasting stances on defense collaboration. Weiterlesen

President Trump posted on Truth Social ordering all federal agencies to "immediately cease all use of Anthropic's technology" after a disagreement with the Department of Defense. Hours later, the United States carried out a major air strike on Iran with the assistance of Anthropic's AI tools, according to the Wall Street Journal. The president announced a six‑month phase‑out for agencies still using the technology, noting that the Department of Defense may shift to other AI providers such as xAI and OpenAI. This follows earlier reports that Anthropic's Claude was used in the capture of former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro. Weiterlesen

Anthropic's AI assistant Claude has surged to the number‑one position on Apple’s Top Free Apps chart, overtaking OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. The surge follows President Trump’s directive that bans federal agencies from using Claude after the company refused to relax certain guardrails. The move sparked a wave of public support that boosted downloads, while Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth labeled the company a supply‑chain risk. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman criticized the decision, calling it a very bad one, but expressed hope for a better resolution. Weiterlesen

Anthropic has launched a new memory import feature for its Claude AI chatbot that lets users transfer conversation context from competing chatbots such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot. By extracting memories into a text prompt and feeding them into Claude, the system can assimilate the information within roughly 24 hours. Users can view and adjust what Claude remembers through the app’s settings, with a focus on work‑related topics. The rollout comes as Claude recently surged to the top of the free App Store charts, overtaking ChatGPT after Anthropic’s stance on Department of Defense AI guardrails sparked user interest and controversy. Weiterlesen