Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has threatened to terminate Anthropic’s contract with the Pentagon by Friday unless the AI startup agrees to the Trump administration’s terms of use, according to a person familiar with the matter.
In a Tuesday meeting with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, Hegseth warned the company to set aside concerns over how its technology may be used by the Defense Department or face being designated a supply chain risk, according to the person who was granted anonymity to describe sensitive talks. The person said Hegseth also threatened to use the Cold War-era Defense Production Act against Anthropic.
Axios first reported details of the Friday deadline.
Anthropic’s ties to the Pentagon came under scrutiny following a report that its AI model Claude was used by the U.S. military during a January operation to capture former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The company refuses to allow its products to be used for mass domestic surveillance of U.S. citizens or in physical attacks where AI makes targeting decisions without human input — two red lines that Amodei reiterated to Hegseth on Tuesday, per the person familiar with their conversation.
In a statement, Anthropic spokesperson Maya Humes confirmed the Tuesday meeting between Hegseth and Amodei. She said the two men “continued good-faith conversations about our usage policy to ensure Anthropic can continue to support the government's national security mission in line with what our models can reliably and responsibly do.”
A spokesperson for the Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It was not immediately clear how the Trump administration plans to use the Defense Production Act against Anthropic. The law gives the government broad powers over private companies in times of war or national emergency, and was used during the Covid-19 pandemic to compel production of medical supplies and accelerate vaccine production.
In 2024, some conservatives objected to the Biden administration's use of it to force AI companies to share data on cutting-edge models with the government.
It is unusual for the U.S. government to label an American company a supply chain risk, and the designation is typically reserved for foreign firms with close ties to U.S. adversaries. If the Trump administration follows through with such a designation, Anthropic could be barred from government contracts. Other companies working with the Pentagon would also be required to cut ties with the AI startup.
Audrey Decker contributed to this report.
from Politics, Policy, Political News Top Stories https://ift.tt/kTx27s5
https://ift.tt/pVHiC2a
0 Comments