Pentagon asks defense contractors about reliance on Anthropic's AI services: Report

The Pentagon has asked defense contractors to assess their reliance on Anthropic, a person familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, ahead of ‌its Friday deadline ⁠for the ⁠AI service provider to respond to a request to eliminate safeguards.

The Department of Defense has been engaged in ​a months-long dispute with Anthropic, which Reuters reported has no intention of easing its usage restrictions for military purposes.

Talks ​are continuing after a meeting between the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei.


During the meeting, Hegseth said if Anthropic did not comply, 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.

The Department ​of Defense has ​given Anthropic until Friday 5 p.m. Eastern time (2200 GMT) to respond, Reuters ⁠reported.

"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.

The Pentagon has asked contractors including Lockheed Martin to provide an assessment of reliance on Anthropic, a step toward a potential designation of the AI firm as a supply-chain risk, the person familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Contacted contractors include Boeing, Axios reported on Wednesday.

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.

Anthropic did not respond to a request for comment.

The person familiar with the matter ​was not authorized ​to speak with media so ⁠declined to be identified.

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.

Its dispute with Anthropic stems from the AI startup's refusal to remove safeguards that would stop its technology being used to target weapons autonomously and conduct surveillance in the U.S.

The department used Anthropic's AI products during a military raid that captured Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, the Wall Street Journal reported.