Tags: national security

Google, Microsoft, xAI, OpenAI and Anthropic have signed on to give the U.S. Commerce Department’s Center for AI Standards and Innovation pre‑release access to their newest models. The voluntary arrangement, built by a staff of fewer than 200, provides the closest approximation the United States has to an AI oversight system, though it carries no statutory authority and cannot block deployments. The expansion follows the so‑called Mythos crisis, which highlighted the need for early government scrutiny of powerful AI capabilities. Read more

Google, Microsoft and Elon Musk's xAI have signed agreements that let the Commerce Department’s Center for AI Standards and Innovation evaluate their next‑generation artificial‑intelligence systems before they are released publicly. The deals, announced a day after reports that the Trump administration was weighing tighter AI oversight, call for the companies to provide models with reduced or disabled safeguards so federal analysts can probe national‑security risks. CAISI director Chris Fall said the collaborations will expand the government’s ability to measure frontier AI and protect U.S. interests. 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

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. Read more

The National Security Agency has begun using Anthropic’s new Mythos Preview, a general‑purpose language model touted for its strength in computer‑security tasks. Sources familiar with the rollout say the NSA is one of roughly 40 agencies granted access and that usage is expanding within the department. The move comes despite a months‑long feud between the AI firm and the Pentagon, a February order from former President Trump to halt government use of Anthropic services, and ongoing lawsuits over the company’s designation as a supply‑chain risk. Read more

Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei is set to sit down with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles on Friday to negotiate federal access to Mythos, the company’s frontier AI system that can discover and exploit thousands of zero‑day vulnerabilities. The talks come after the Pentagon blacklisted Anthropic for refusing to lift safety guards on its models, even as Treasury, intelligence agencies and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency press for controlled use of the technology. The meeting could shape the future of AI‑driven cybersecurity policy in the United States and abroad. Read more

London announced a new £500 million (about $675 million) Sovereign AI fund aimed at accelerating homegrown artificial‑intelligence companies. Led by venture‑capital partners James Wise and Joséphine Kant, the fund will back startups across model development, agentic AI and drug discovery, while granting them access to the nation’s supercomputing resources, visa shortcuts and procurement pipelines. The first tranche includes an investment in processor‑coordination firm Callosum and compute credits for seven other firms, signaling Britain’s push to become an AI maker rather than a taker. Read more

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has opened a formal investigation into OpenAI and its ChatGPT chatbot, citing concerns about national security, data handling and potential real‑world harms. The probe, which may include subpoenas, comes as the AI firm prepares for a possible initial public offering and faces heightened scrutiny from regulators and investors. Read more

A federal appeals court denied Anthropic's motion for a stay, allowing the Pentagon to continue its blacklisting of the AI firm amid an active military conflict. The judges emphasized the government's authority over national‑security procurement and warned that overruling the Department of Defense could impede vital operations. Trade group CCIA warned the move could set a risky precedent for U.S. tech innovation, arguing that supply‑chain risk designations should be reserved for foreign adversaries and follow established procurement rules. Read more

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Thursday that his office will investigate OpenAI, citing concerns that the company’s AI tools are being used for criminal activity, child exploitation and could fall into the hands of foreign adversaries. The probe follows a lawsuit filed by the family of a Florida State University shooting victim, which alleges the suspect communicated with ChatGPT. OpenAI, preparing for an IPO later this year, now faces heightened scrutiny from state officials and the Federal Trade Commission on how it safeguards its technology. Read more

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Thursday that his office will investigate OpenAI, citing worries that ChatGPT may have aided the perpetrator of last year’s Florida State University shooting, that the tool endangers minors, and that it could be leveraged by foreign adversaries. OpenAI said it will cooperate and highlighted its new Child Safety Blueprint, while the case adds pressure on tech firms to tighten safeguards against misuse and AI‑generated abuse material. Read more

A three‑judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled Wednesday that Anthropic, the creator of the Claude AI model, must remain designated as a supply‑chain risk for the Pentagon. The decision contradicts a recent San Francisco district court order that had lifted the label, leaving the military’s access to Anthropic’s tools in limbo as the two cases proceed toward final judgments. Read more

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. Read more

During a hearing, U.S. District Judge Rita Lin questioned the Department of Defense’s decision to label AI developer Anthropic a supply‑chain risk, describing it as an apparent attempt to cripple the company after it sought limits on military use of its Claude tool. Anthropic has filed lawsuits alleging illegal retaliation, and the judge is considering a temporary injunction that could pause the designation. The case highlights tensions over AI use in the armed forces, First Amendment concerns, and the Pentagon’s authority to restrict contractors. Read more

Japan’s government announced a reinterpretation of Article 9 that will allow the Self‑Defense Forces to conduct offensive cyber operations targeting infrastructure used in cyber attacks. The change, effective October 1 2026, will be overseen by a government cyber‑management committee that authorizes actions on a case‑by‑case basis. Officials described the move as a response to the most complicated national‑security environment since World War II and part of a global trend where nations see cyber offense as a necessary complement to defense. 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 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. 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

The U.S. Justice Department defended a Pentagon decision to label AI developer Anthropic as a supply‑chain risk, arguing the company cannot be trusted with warfighting systems. Anthropic sued, claiming the label violates its rights and threatens its business, but the government maintained the action was lawful and necessary for national security. The dispute centers on whether Anthropic's Claude models should be allowed to support defense operations, with the Department of Defense seeking alternative AI providers while the lawsuit proceeds in federal court. Read more

Anthropic announced the creation of the Anthropic Institute, an internal think tank that merges three of its research teams to study AI's societal, economic, and safety impacts. The move coincides with a lawsuit against the U.S. government over a Pentagon blacklist that would block its technology from defense contracts. Co‑founder Jack Clark shifts to lead the institute as head of public benefit, while Sarah Heck takes over the public policy group. The institute launches with roughly 30 researchers, including former Google DeepMind and OpenAI staff, and plans to double its staff each year while continuing to address national‑security and democratic‑leadership issues in AI. Read more