Despite direct pressure from the US Department of Defense, Anthropic, an American company specializing in the field of artificial intelligence, renewed its refusal to allow the Pentagon to use its technology unrestricted.
The company’s CEO, Dario Amodei, stressed that “threats do not change our position: we cannot in our conscience respond to their request,” after Washington gave the company until Friday to approve the unconditional military use of its technology, otherwise it will face a legal obligation under the “Defense Production Act.”
Amodei explained that Anthropic models have already been used to support some defense missions, but stressed that there are “strict ethical constraints” related to rejecting mass surveillance of American citizens and using the systems to operate lethal weapons fully autonomously.
He added that “the use of these systems for collective internal control is not compatible with democratic values,” noting that current artificial intelligence “cannot be relied upon to operate lethal weapons without human control.”
He stressed, “We will not knowingly provide any product that puts American soldiers or civilians at risk.”
Following a meeting between the two parties this week, the Pentagon gave the company until Friday to agree, and threatened to force it to comply using the Defense Production Act, a Cold War-era law that gives the government broad powers to compel the private sector to meet national security needs.
The Department of Defense also threatened to classify the company as a “supply chain risk,” a characterization that could harm its ability to work with the US government and its reputation.
The company responded by announcing that it would judicially challenge any such classification.
US President Donald Trump commented on the company’s position on his “Truth Social” platform, saying: “I direct federal agencies to immediately stop using Anthropic technology. We do not need it, we do not want it, and we will not deal with it again.”
He added that a six-month transition period would be granted to agencies that rely on the company’s products, warning that he would use “the full power of the presidency” to force them into compliance if necessary.
