The Trump administration halted all federal use of Anthropic's artificial‑intelligence technology after the company declined to allow its tools to be used for mass surveillance or autonomous weapons. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth invoked a national‑security law to blacklist Anthropic, jeopardizing a contract worth up to $200 million and potentially barring the firm from future defense work. The move has sparked debate over AI safety commitments, industry self‑regulation, and the need for binding government oversight. Read more →

Anthropic’s chatbot Claude has risen to the second spot among free apps in Apple’s U.S. App Store, trailing only OpenAI’s ChatGPT and ahead of Google’s Gemini. The surge follows a high‑profile clash with the Pentagon, where Anthropic sought safeguards against the Department of Defense using its models for mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons. President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies to cease using Anthropic products, and the Defense Secretary labeled the company a supply‑chain threat. OpenAI later announced its own agreement with the Pentagon that includes similar safeguards. 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 →

OpenAI announced a contract with the U.S. Defense Department to place its artificial‑intelligence models within the agency’s network. The agreement includes two core safety principles—prohibitions on domestic mass surveillance and a requirement for human responsibility over the use of force, including autonomous weapon systems. OpenAI will provide technical safeguards, assign engineers to work with the department, and run the models on cloud infrastructure, with a pending partnership to use Amazon Web Services for enterprise customers. The deal comes as rival Anthropic declined a similar government offer, citing concerns over surveillance and weaponization. Read more →

The U.S. secretary of defense announced that Anthropic, a leading AI startup, is now designated as a supply‑chain risk for any contractor, supplier, or partner doing business with the military. The move has sent shockwaves through the tech sector, prompting Anthropic to vow legal action and raising concerns about the impact on existing defense contracts and broader AI collaborations. Industry leaders, legal experts, and policy analysts are debating the legality and potential precedent of the designation, while companies that work with both the Pentagon and Anthropic are left uncertain about their future relationships. Read more →

OpenAI has dismissed an unnamed employee after discovering that the worker used confidential company information to trade on prediction market platforms such as Polymarket. The company said the conduct violated its internal policy that bars the use of inside information for personal gain. Prediction markets, which allow users to wager on real‑world outcomes, argue they are financial platforms rather than gambling sites. OpenAI did not provide further comment, and the incident highlights the growing scrutiny of insider activity on emerging financial exchanges. Read more →

OpenAI announced that its chatbot ChatGPT now has more than 900 million weekly active users, up from 700 million earlier. The service also boasts more than 50 million consumer subscribers and a fourfold increase in business subscribers, reaching 9 million. The user base has more than doubled since February 2025, when it had 400 million users. Competitor Anthropic reported a 60% rise in free users and a doubling of paid subscribers. OpenAI also disclosed a scaled‑back investment from Nvidia and new contributions from SoftBank and Amazon. Read more →

President Donald Trump instructed U.S. federal agencies to stop using Anthropic's Claude artificial‑intelligence system after the company refused to let the Department of Defense apply the technology for mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons. The president’s post on Truth Social called Anthropic a "radical left, woke company" and set a six‑month phase‑out for agencies. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said the firm could not in good conscience remove contract clauses that prohibit use of Claude in autonomous weapons or surveillance. The clash highlights growing tension between government demands and AI firms’ safety commitments. Read more →

President Trump directed every federal agency to stop using Anthropic's artificial intelligence technology. The order includes a six‑month phase‑out period for agencies such as the Department of Defense. Failure to comply could trigger civil and criminal consequences, according to the president's statement, which frames the move as essential for protecting national security and American lives. Read more →

In a newly released deposition related to Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI, the billionaire accused the lab of neglecting safety, contrasting it with his own xAI venture. Musk asserted that no suicides have been linked to his company’s Grok model, while suggesting that OpenAI’s ChatGPT may be implicated. He reiterated his support for the March 2023 AI safety letter and explained his motivation for signing it. The testimony also touched on Musk’s past donation figures, concerns about AI monopolies, and the broader legal battle over OpenAI’s shift from nonprofit to for‑profit status. Read more →

OpenAI has dismissed an employee after an internal investigation found that the worker used confidential company information to place bets on external prediction market platforms. The company said its policies forbid using internal data for personal gain, and the termination was communicated to staff. The incident highlights growing concerns about insider trading on blockchain‑based prediction markets and has prompted broader industry scrutiny. Read more →

Hundreds of current employees at Google and OpenAI have added their names to an open letter urging their companies to stand with Anthropic amid a Pentagon dispute over military uses of AI. The letter, titled “We Will Not Be Divided,” calls for both firms to reject Department of War demands for unrestricted model deployment, referencing statements from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. Over 450 staff members have signed, with the majority from Google and the rest from OpenAI, while roughly half of the participants have chosen anonymity. The move follows recent pressure from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and discussions involving other AI entities such as xAI. Read more →

Anthropic's CEO has clashed with the Defense Secretary over the Department of Defense's desire to use the company's AI models for any lawful purpose. Anthropic insists its technology should not be employed for mass surveillance of Americans or fully autonomous weapons without human oversight. The Pentagon argues that vendor restrictions should not limit military operations and has warned of labeling Anthropic a supply‑chain risk if the company does not comply. The dispute highlights a broader struggle over who controls powerful AI systems—private developers or the government. Read more →

Director Gore Verbinski explains how his upcoming film uses two distinct visual styles to mirror the narrative shift from everyday reality to a surreal AI-driven conflict. He describes the early scenes as grounded in familiar settings before the story’s tone and composition become increasingly stylized. Verbinski also reveals the AI antagonist’s design, noting its desire for human approval and its complex psychological programming. Influences from classic directors and the animated film Akira shaped both the visual language and the climactic third act, creating a bold, immersive experience. Read more →