Anthropic CEO stands firm as Pentagon deadline looms

Source: TechCrunch

Image Credits: Getty Images

Statement from Anthropic CEO

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said Thursday that he “cannot in good conscience accede to [the Pentagon’s] request” to give the military unrestricted access to its AI systems.

“Anthropic understands that the Department of War, not private companies, makes military decisions,” Amodei wrote. “However, in a narrow set of cases, we believe AI can undermine, rather than defend, democratic values. Some uses are also simply outside the bounds of what today’s technology can safely and reliably do.”

The two cases he cites are mass surveillance of Americans and fully autonomous weapons with no human in the loop. The Pentagon believes it should be able to use Anthropic’s model for all lawful purposes, and that its uses shouldn’t be dictated by a private company.

Pentagon Deadline and Threats

Amodei’s statement comes less than 24 hours ahead of the Friday 5:01 PM deadline set by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The Department of Defense has attempted to force Amodei’s hand by either labeling Anthropic a supply‑chain risk—a designation usually reserved for foreign adversaries—or by invoking the Defense Production Act (DPA) to compel the firm to comply. The DPA gives the president authority to require companies to prioritize or expand production for national defense.

Amodei highlighted the contradiction in those two threats: “One labels us a security risk; the other labels Claude as essential to national security.”

Anthropic’s Position

He added that it’s the Department’s right to choose contractors most aligned with its vision, “but given the substantial value that Anthropic’s technology provides to our armed forces, we hope they reconsider.”

Anthropic is currently the only frontier AI lab with classified‑ready systems for the military, though the DoD is reportedly preparing xAI for the role.

“Our strong preference is to continue to serve the Department and our warfighters—with our two requested safeguards in place,” Amodei said. “Should the Department choose to offboard Anthropic, we will work to enable a smooth transition to another provider, avoiding any disruption to ongoing military planning, operations, or other critical missions.”

TL;DR: “We can just part ways. There’s no need to be nasty about it.”