• Source:JND
Add as a preferred

Anthropic vs Trump: The fight between the US government and Anthropic has escalated into a high-stakes confrontation over who ultimately controls how AI systems are used in warfare. With neither side willing to compromise, the dispute intensified on Friday when United States President Donald Trump directed federal agencies to halt the use of Anthropic’s AI tools, a day after the company declined Pentagon’s request to permit "any lawful use" of its technology.

The equation is expected to put financial pressure on the San Francisco startup. It may also disrupt ongoing AI projects within US defence and intelligence agencies.

ALSO READ: Will New Delhi 'Rebalance' India-US Trade Deals After Court Verdict On Trump Tariffs? Piyush Goyal Responds

What Does Anthropic Stand For?

Established by Dario Amodei, Anthropic has built its reputation around prioritising AI safety. The company’s leading model, Claude, is currently integrated into US national security infrastructure.

Anthropic Denies The Usage Of Its AI For:

-Surveillance of US citizens

-Weapons systems capable of operating independently, without any direct human oversight

Pentagon's Stance

US officials maintain that once the military legally procures technology, contractors have no authority to restrict its usage. The Department of Defense gave Anthropic a deadline to accept unrestricted usage terms.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth subsequently said the Pentagon would classify Anthropic as a “supply chain risk” - a designation more commonly associated with companies linked to foreign adversaries.

ALSO READ: 'Donald Dash': For First Time In 90 Years, More Americans Left US Than New Residents Arrived

Trump Comes Down Heavily On Anthropic

President Trump on Friday said that he is directing the government to stop work with Anthropic. He called the company’s leadership "left wing nut jobs". Trump added that there would be a six-month phase-out for the Defense Department and other agencies that use the company's products.

"We don't need it, we don't want it, and will not do business with them again!" Trump posted on Xe.

OpenAI Steps In

As an alternative, the Trump administration began discussions with Anthropic’s competitor, OpenAI. On Saturday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced on X that the company has finalised an agreement with the United States’ Department of War (DoW) to integrate its AI models into a classified military network, while specifying the safety measures and operational protocols that will govern their use.

“Tonight, we reached an agreement with the Department of War to deploy our models in their classified network,” Sam Altman posted on X.

“AI safety and wide distribution of benefits are the core of our mission. Two of our most important safety principles are prohibitions on domestic mass surveillance and human responsibility for the use of force, including for autonomous weapon systems. The DoW agrees with these principles, reflects them in law and policy, and we put them into our agreement,” Altman added.

The rivalry in the AI sector between Dario Amodei and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has roots going back to 2021, when Amodei and several senior researchers left OpenAI, citing what he described as "directional differences".


Also In News