Pentagon strikes classified AI deals with OpenAI, Google, and Nvidia — but not Anthropic
Source: The Verge
The Pentagon has struck deals with OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Nvidia, Elon Musk’s xAI, and the startup Reflection, allowing the agency to use their AI tools in classified settings, according to an announcement on Friday. At the same time, the Defense Department has left out Anthropic — which it previously used for classified information — after declaring it a supply‑chain risk.
Pentagon AI Agreements
- The agreements cover “lawful operational use” of the companies’ AI systems and aim to establish the United States military as an “AI‑first fighting force.”
- Prior deals with OpenAI and xAI already allowed “lawful” use of their AI systems.
- A report from The Information suggests Google has struck a similar agreement.
- As noted by The Wall Street Journal, Microsoft and Amazon already have “deep relationships with the Pentagon.”
- Contracts with Nvidia and Reflection are new.
Anthropic Exclusion
- Anthropic previously held a $200 million deal to handle classified materials for the Pentagon.
- The company refused to loosen “red lines” around mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons, leading to a dispute that resulted in a ban on its products from the federal government.
- Anthropic sued the government and won a temporary injunction.
Statements from the Defense Department
Emil Michael, the Defense Department’s chief technology officer, told CNBC on Friday that Anthropic remains a supply‑chain risk, but praised its security model, Mythos, as a “separate national security moment.” He added, “We have to make sure that our networks are hardened up, because that model has capabilities that are particular to finding cyber vulnerabilities and patching them.”