Microsoft, Google say Anthropic Claude remains available to non-defense customers

Source: TechCrunch

Background

Enterprises and startups that use Anthropic Claude through Microsoft and Google products need not fear that the model will be ripped from their reach, Microsoft and Google confirmed to TechCrunch.

The Department of Defense (DoD) officially designated Anthropic as a supply‑chain risk on Thursday after the AI company refused to give it unrestricted access to its technology for applications the company said its AI could not safely support, such as mass surveillance and fully autonomous weapons. The designation is typically reserved for foreign adversaries. For Anthropic, it means the Pentagon won’t be able to use the company’s products once it transitions Claude off its systems, and any contractor working with the Pentagon must certify that they do not use Anthropic’s models. Anthropic has vowed to fight the designation in court [source].

Microsoft’s Assurance

Microsoft sells an array of products, from Office to its cloud, to many federal agencies, including the DoD. A Microsoft spokesperson said the company will continue making Anthropic’s models available within its own products and to Microsoft customers.

“Our lawyers have studied the designation and have concluded that Anthropic products, including Claude, can remain available to our customers — other than the Department of War — through platforms such as M365, GitHub, and Microsoft’s AI Foundry, and that we can continue to work with Anthropic on non‑defense‑related projects,” the spokesperson said in an email.

CNBC first reported on the comment [source].

Google’s Assurance

Google, which provides cloud computing, AI, and productivity tools to federal agencies, has also confirmed that it will continue to make Claude available to its customers.

“We understand that the Determination does not preclude us from working with Anthropic on non‑defense‑related projects, and their products remain available through our platforms, like Google Cloud,” a Google spokesperson said.

Anthropic’s Response

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei reiterated the company’s stance in a public statement:

“With respect to our customers, it plainly applies only to the use of Claude by customers as a direct part of contracts with the Department of War, not all use of Claude by customers who have such contracts. Even for Department of War contractors, the supply‑chain risk designation doesn’t (and can’t) limit uses of Claude or business relationships with Anthropic if those are unrelated to their specific Department of War contracts.”

Claude’s Consumer Growth

Claude’s consumer growth surge has continued after Anthropic refused to give in to the department’s demands [source].