Pentagon Threatens Anthropic With Defense Production Act Over AI Access Demands, Seeks Replacements
Summary
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth threatens to invoke the Defense Production Act against Anthropic if CEO Dario Amodei does not grant the Pentagon unrestricted access to its Claude AI by Friday, as Anthropic refuses to allow its model to be used for mass surveillance or autonomous weapons, forcing the Pentagon to urgently seek replacements from OpenAI, Google, and xAI.
Key Points
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gives Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei until Friday to grant the Pentagon unfettered access to its AI model Claude, threatening to invoke the Defense Production Act or declare the company a supply chain risk if demands are not met.
- Anthropic stands firm on its red lines, refusing to allow Claude to be used for mass surveillance of Americans or autonomous weapons systems, while denying claims that it raised concerns about Claude's use during the recent Maduro raid.
- The Pentagon faces a major dilemma as Claude remains the only AI model currently deployed in classified military systems, pushing officials to fast-track conversations with OpenAI, Google, and Elon Musk's xAI as potential replacements.