Hegseth Gives Anthropic Until Friday To Back Down on AI Safeguards
Source: Slashdot
Background
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei a deadline of Friday evening to provide the military unfettered access to its AI model or face severe penalties, according to Axios. The meeting on Tuesday was described as tense, with Hegseth warning that the Pentagon could either cut ties and label Anthropic a “supply chain risk,” or invoke the Defense Production Act to compel the company to tailor its model for military use.
Pentagon’s Demands
- Unrestricted access to Anthropic’s flagship model, Claude.
- Potential use of the Defense Production Act to enforce compliance.
- Threat of cutting ties and designating Anthropic as a supply‑chain risk if demands are not met.
Anthropic’s Position
Anthropic has indicated a willingness to adjust its usage policies for the Pentagon, but it refuses to allow its model to be used for:
- Mass surveillance of Americans.
- Development of autonomous weapons that operate without human involvement.
“The only reason we’re still talking to these people is we need them and we need them now. The problem for these guys is they are that good,” a Defense official told Axios ahead of the meeting.