The Pentagon Threatens Anthropic

5 hours ago

Anthropic signed a contract with the Pentagon last summer, which initially required the Pentagon to follow Anthropic’s Usage Policy.
In January, the Pentagon attempted to renegotiate the contract, asking to remove the Usage Policy and have Anthropic’s AIs available for 'all lawful purposes'.
Anthropic resisted, requesting guarantees that their AIs would not be used for mass surveillance of American citizens or autonomous killbots.
The Pentagon refused these guarantees and threatened 'consequences' if Anthropic did not comply, including canceling the contract, using the Defense Production Act, or designating Anthropic a 'supply chain risk'.
The 'supply chain risk' designation could severely damage Anthropic’s business by preventing U.S. companies using their products from doing business with the military.
The author supports Anthropic’s stance, criticizing the Pentagon’s tactics as unprecedented and harmful to domestic companies.
The Pentagon’s actions could set a dangerous precedent, chilling investment and allowing future administrations to target companies arbitrarily.
The author argues that the Pentagon should either accept Anthropic’s terms or switch to another AI vendor rather than coercing compliance.
The situation highlights broader concerns about AI ethics, military use of AI, and corporate autonomy in the face of government pressure.

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