Tags: Defense Department

Amazon Web Services, Microsoft and NVIDIA have signed agreements to provide the U.S. Defense Department with artificial‑intelligence tools for use on classified networks, the Pentagon announced. The deals, which also include startup Reflection AI, join similar contracts already in place with xAI, OpenAI and Google. Anthropic remains the only major U.S. AI firm without a Pentagon agreement, after a dispute with the administration over safeguards on its Claude chatbot. The rapid expansion of AI in the military has sparked public backlash, as evidenced by a sharp rise in ChatGPT uninstall rates following OpenAI’s own deal. Read more

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,” including sensitive military tasks. The move comes despite an open letter signed by more than 600 Google employees urging CEO Sundar Pichai to refuse the contract, citing concerns over lethal autonomous weapons and mass surveillance. Google says the deal includes safeguards against domestic mass surveillance and autonomous weapons without human oversight, while the Pentagon declined to comment. The controversy revives memories of the 2018 Project Maven protests and raises fresh questions about corporate responsibility in national‑security AI work. Read more

President Donald Trump told CNBC that a deal allowing Anthropic’s AI models to be used by the Department of Defense is "possible," reversing a February order that barred federal agencies from the firm’s technology. The comment followed a White House meeting on April 18 in which Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei discussed the company’s new Mythos model with Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Anthropic remains under a supply‑chain‑risk designation that bars it from Pentagon contracts while two federal courts issue conflicting rulings on the ban. Read more

The U.S. Department of Defense has expressed concern that Anthropic’s AI model, Claude, could be manipulated to interfere with military operations. Anthropic responded by stating it has no ability to shut down, alter, or otherwise control the model once deployed by the government. The company highlighted that it lacks any back‑door or remote kill switch and cannot access user prompts or data. In parallel, Anthropic has filed lawsuits challenging a supply‑chain risk designation that limits the Pentagon’s use of its software. The dispute underscores tension between national‑security priorities and emerging AI technologies. Read more

The U.S. Department of Defense labeled AI lab Anthropic as an "unacceptable risk to national security," citing concerns that the company might disable or alter its models during warfighting operations if its corporate "red lines" are crossed. Anthropic, which signed a $200 million Pentagon contract last summer, sued to block the DoD's supply‑chain risk designation, arguing the move infringes on its First Amendment rights. Legal experts say the DoD’s justification relies on speculative assumptions, and numerous tech firms and rights groups have filed amicus briefs supporting Anthropic. Read more

The Department of Defense is reportedly preparing to have artificial‑intelligence companies train versions of their models on classified information for exclusive military use. The initiative would take place in a secure data center authorized for classified projects, with the Pentagon retaining ownership of all training data. Companies such as OpenAI and xAI are expected to participate, while Anthropic may be excluded due to its policy restrictions. Experts warn that training on sensitive data could expose classified material to personnel lacking proper clearance, raising security concerns about broader model deployment within the defense establishment. Read more

Anthropic has filed a lawsuit to block the Pentagon from adding the AI firm to a national‑security blocklist after the Department of Defense labeled it a supply‑chain risk. The company argues the designation violates free‑speech and due‑process rights and lacks statutory authority. The legal action follows weeks of tension with the Defense Department, which pressed Anthropic to remove safeguards against mass surveillance and autonomous weapons. Anthropic’s CEO Dario Amodei refused, leading to threats of contract cancellation and a broader government push to bar the firm from federal use. OpenAI later secured a deal with the Defense Department, emphasizing similar safety principles. Read more

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei announced that the company will contest a Defense Department designation labeling its AI products a supply‑chain risk. The move follows a Pentagon notice that the designation is effective immediately. Amodei expressed belief that the action is not legally sound and said the firm has no choice but to pursue legal action. While the restriction applies to defense use, Anthropic’s Claude chatbot remains available to the public and commercial partners such as Microsoft. The company continues discussions with the department to explore permissible ways to serve the Pentagon without violating its exceptions on mass surveillance and autonomous weapons. Read more

OpenAI announced two new models, GPT‑5.4 Thinking and GPT‑5.4 Pro, aimed at enterprise workloads and AI agents. The "thinking" model trades speed for higher accuracy, reducing hallucinations by 18% for overall errors and 33% for false claims compared with GPT‑5.2. Both models are now available to paid ChatGPT users and via API, with Thinking also integrated into Codex. OpenAI frames the release as a competitive move against Anthropic’s Claude, which currently leads mobile AI app charts. Meanwhile, the U.S. Defense Department’s AI contracts shifted from Anthropic to OpenAI after Anthropic declined to support surveillance or autonomous weapons, prompting OpenAI to promise safeguards and limited agency access. Read more

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has re‑opened talks with the U.S. Defense Department after a dispute over contract language concerning the use of the company’s AI models for bulk data analysis. The disagreement stemmed from a clause the Pentagon wanted removed, which Anthropic feared could enable mass surveillance. The department had threatened to label Anthropic a supply‑chain risk and cancel its existing agreement, a move that previously led to a presidential directive to halt the use of its technology. Both parties are now working to resolve the language issue and preserve the partnership. Read more

A dispute between the Department of Defense and AI company Anthropic has intensified, with officials exchanging criticisms publicly. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and gave the firm a deadline to revise its contract to permit “all lawful use” of its models. Experts suggest the conflict stems more from differing attitudes than concrete policy disagreements, noting that Anthropic has so far supported the Pentagon’s proposed uses. The company, founded on AI safety principles, has warned about the risks of fully autonomous weapons while acknowledging their potential defensive value. Read more

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave Anthropic a deadline of 5:01 PM on Friday to drop safety safeguards on its Claude AI system, threatening to cancel a $200 million contract and label the firm a supply‑chain risk. CEO Dario Amodei responded that Anthropic cannot in good conscience comply, insisting on keeping the safeguards while remaining willing to support the military. The Pentagon’s request would allow Claude to be used for mass surveillance and fully autonomous weapons, a use case Anthropic refuses. The standoff raises questions about AI safety, government contracts, and potential alternatives such as Grok, Google’s Gemini, and OpenAI. Read more

Pentagon leader Pete Hegseth warned AI firm Anthropic that it must cooperate with the Department of Defense’s AI strategy or risk being removed from the defense supply chain. The department’s recent AI strategy emphasizes open‑ended use of artificial intelligence to reshape warfare, while Anthropic has raised concerns about the reliability of its models for lethal missions without a human in the loop and has advocated for stricter rules on domestic surveillance uses. A potential cut would affect Anthropic’s $200 million contract and its partners such as Palantir. Read more