Pentagon asks Defence Contractors to review reliance on Anthropic ahead of safeguard deadline

The Pentagon has asked the defence contractors to assess their reliance on Anthropic, ahead of the deadline scheduled on Friday for the AI service provider to respond to a request to remove safeguards preventing its technology  from autonomously targeting weapons or enabling domestic surveillance.  

Officials from the United States Department of Defence have argued the government should only be required to follow US law when using AI systems.

Talks are in process after a meeting between Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei.  

During the meeting, Hegseth warned that if Anthropic did not comply with the US laws, the Pentagon would take action against it, with options including labeling it a supply-chain risk or invoking a law that would force Anthropic to change its rules, Reuters reported.

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The Department of Defence has given Anthropic deadline till Friday. “The Office of the Secretary of War is preparing to execute on any decision that the Secretary might make on Friday regarding Anthropic,” a senior Pentagon official said.

A Lockheed spokesperson told Reuters the Pentagon had contacted the company. Boeing Defense, Space and Security said it does not have any active contracts with Anthropic.

The Pentagon has pushed big AI companies including Anthropic and OpenAI to make their AI tools available on classified networks without many of the standard restrictions that the companies apply to users, Reuters has reported.

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The dispute arises from the AI startup’s refusal to remove safety safeguards that would stop its technology being used to target weapons autonomously and conduct surveillance in the US.

The department used Anthropic’s AI products during a US intervention in Venezuela and capture of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro along with his wife, the Wall Street Journal reported.