Pentagon asks US defence contractors about reliance on Anthropic's services, source says

The Pentagon is reaching out to defense contractors to assess their reliance on artificial intelligence lab Anthropic's services, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday, ahead of ‌a Friday deadline for ⁠the ⁠AI firm to respond to the government.

Reuters reported on Tuesday that Anthropic has no intention of easing its usage restrictions for military purposes, and talks continue after a meeting between the AI firm's CEO and U.S. Defense ⁠Secretary Pete ‌Hegseth to discuss its future with the Pentagon.

Axios reported earlier on Wednesday the ⁠Pentagon has asked defense contractors Boeing and Lockheed Martin to provide an assessment of their reliance on Anthropic, a first step toward a potential designation of the AI firm as a "supply chain risk."


"Lockheed Martin has been contacted by the Department ‌of War regarding an analysis of its exposure and reliance on Anthropic ahead of a potential supply chain ⁠risk declaration," a Lockheed spokesperson told Axios. Boeing declined to comment to Axios.

Boeing and Lockheed did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

The Pentagon also did not reply to a Reuters request for comment.