Background

Anthropic, a frontier artificial‑intelligence laboratory, holds the only classified Department of Defense (DOD) access among its peers. The company has long maintained strict usage policies that bar its technology from mass surveillance of Americans and from being employed in fully autonomous weapons systems.

Pentagon’s Demands

According to reports, the Pentagon has set a deadline of Friday evening for Anthropic to grant the U.S. military unrestricted access to its AI model. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei that the department will either designate Anthropic a “supply chain risk,” a label typically reserved for foreign adversaries, or invoke the Defense Production Act (DPA) to compel the company to produce a version of the model tailored to military needs. The DPA gives the president authority to prioritize or expand production for national defense, a power previously used during the COVID‑19 pandemic to direct companies such as General Motors and 3M to manufacture ventilators and masks.

Anthropic’s Stance

Anthropic has refused to compromise on its safety restrictions, emphasizing that it does not want its technology used for mass surveillance or fully autonomous weapons. The company’s position aligns with its stated policy that AI deployment should respect U.S. law and constitutional limits, rather than be governed solely by private‑contractor usage policies.

Implications

Invoking the DPA in a dispute over AI guardrails would mark a significant expansion of the law’s modern use, according to analysts. Dean Ball, a senior fellow at the Foundation for American Innovation and former senior policy advisor on AI in the Trump administration, warned that the move could signal the government’s willingness to force companies out of business if they disagree politically. The situation has drawn criticism from AI czar David Sacks, who labeled Anthropic’s safety policies as “woke.” Ball further suggested that investors might view the United States as an unstable place to conduct business, potentially undermining America’s reputation as a hub of global commerce.

Anthropic’s unique status as the sole classified‑ready AI vendor raises concerns about redundancy. Reports indicate the DOD has no immediate backup and has reportedly reached a separate deal to use xAI’s Grok in classified systems. This lack of alternatives may explain the Pentagon’s aggressive posture, especially given a National Security Memorandum from the late Biden administration that directs federal agencies to avoid dependence on a single classified‑ready frontier AI system.

Industry Reaction

The dispute underscores a broader tension between governmental demands for rapid AI integration into defense and private companies’ ethical commitments. TechCrunch has sought comment from both Anthropic and the DOD, highlighting the high‑stakes nature of the negotiation for national security and the future of AI governance in the United States.

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