US Threatens Anthropic with 'Supply-Chain Risk' Designation. OpenAI Signs New War Department Deal

The U.S. government ordered federal agencies to stop using Anthropic's AI due to stalled contract negotiations. This followed Anthropic's requests to prohibit mass domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth strongly criticized Anthropic, accusing them of arrogance and prioritizing ideology over American lives. Hegseth declared the Department of War requires unrestricted access to Anthropic's models for all lawful purposes. He then designated Anthropic as a supply-chain risk to national security, forbidding military contractors from doing business with them. Anthropic responded by stating they would challenge the designation, citing the historical precedent of its use and its illegality. They defended the exceptions they requested, citing unreliability of AI for fully autonomous weapons and the protection of fundamental rights. Meanwhile, OpenAI reached an agreement with the Department of War, allowing them to deploy their models in classified networks. OpenAI's agreement maintained prohibitions against mass domestic surveillance and required human oversight of force decisions. OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman expressed that the Department of War agreed with these principles and incorporated them in their agreement. OpenAI also expressed they would build technical safeguards and hoped for a de-escalation of actions and reasonable agreements for all. They remain committed to serve all of humanity.