HomeAnthropic's Dario Amodei Pursues Defense Contract with Pentagon
The $200 million contract between Anthropic and the Department of Defense (DoD) collapsed last week after the parties could not agree on the extent of the military's unrestricted access to Anthropic's AI.
When the DoD instead reached a deal with OpenAI, it appeared the military's relationship with Anthropic had ended—but new reports from the Financial Times and Bloomberg indicate that Amodei has resumed negotiations with Pentagon official Emil Michael.
These discussions are reportedly aimed at reaching a compromise on a contract that defines how the Pentagon can continue using Anthropic's AI models.
It would be surprising if Anthropic secures a new agreement, considering the harsh exchanges between the parties. Still, a compromise could benefit both sides—the Pentagon already depends on Anthropic’s technology, and an abrupt shift to OpenAI’s systems would be disruptive.
The disagreement started when Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei raised concerns about a clause permitting the military to use Anthropic’s AI for any lawful purpose. Amodei insisted the company would not allow its technology to be used for domestic mass surveillance or autonomous weapons and wanted the contract to explicitly prohibit such uses. After Anthropic refused to comply, the department turned to OpenAI instead.
Since then, individuals on both sides have openly expressed their frustrations. Michael called Amodei a "liar" with a "God complex." Amodei, in a message reportedly sent to Anthropic staff this week, criticized the DoD and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, referring to the OpenAI deal as "safety theater" and the messaging around it as "straight-up lies."
"The main reason [OpenAI] accepted [the DoD’s deal] and we did not is that they cared about placating employees, and we actually cared about preventing abuses," Amodei wrote in the memo.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has pledged to designate Anthropic as a "supply chain risk," effectively blacklisting the company from working with any other company that does business with the U.S. military—though he has not yet taken legal action to enforce this. Such a designation is usually reserved for foreign adversaries, and it is uncertain whether it would hold up in court.
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![JuanAdams]()
Cette info me donne un peu froid dans le dos... La collaboration entre l'armée et l'IA, surtout sans garde-fous clairs, c'est un terrain glissant. Anthropic a l'air de vouloir poser des limites, c'est une bonne chose en soi. Mais au final, c'est OpenAI qui récupère le contrat ? Ça ressemble à une course à l'armement technologique entre géants de l'IA. Où est la réflexion éthique collective ? 🤔
The $200 million contract between Anthropic and the Department of Defense (DoD) collapsed last week after the parties could not agree on the extent of the military's unrestricted access to Anthropic's AI.
When the DoD instead reached a deal with OpenAI, it appeared the military's relationship with Anthropic had ended—but new reports from the Financial Times and Bloomberg indicate that Amodei has resumed negotiations with Pentagon official Emil Michael.
These discussions are reportedly aimed at reaching a compromise on a contract that defines how the Pentagon can continue using Anthropic's AI models.
It would be surprising if Anthropic secures a new agreement, considering the harsh exchanges between the parties. Still, a compromise could benefit both sides—the Pentagon already depends on Anthropic’s technology, and an abrupt shift to OpenAI’s systems would be disruptive.
The disagreement started when Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei raised concerns about a clause permitting the military to use Anthropic’s AI for any lawful purpose. Amodei insisted the company would not allow its technology to be used for domestic mass surveillance or autonomous weapons and wanted the contract to explicitly prohibit such uses. After Anthropic refused to comply, the department turned to OpenAI instead.
Since then, individuals on both sides have openly expressed their frustrations. Michael called Amodei a "liar" with a "God complex." Amodei, in a message reportedly sent to Anthropic staff this week, criticized the DoD and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, referring to the OpenAI deal as "safety theater" and the messaging around it as "straight-up lies."
"The main reason [OpenAI] accepted [the DoD’s deal] and we did not is that they cared about placating employees, and we actually cared about preventing abuses," Amodei wrote in the memo.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has pledged to designate Anthropic as a "supply chain risk," effectively blacklisting the company from working with any other company that does business with the U.S. military—though he has not yet taken legal action to enforce this. Such a designation is usually reserved for foreign adversaries, and it is uncertain whether it would hold up in court.
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Cette info me donne un peu froid dans le dos... La collaboration entre l'armée et l'IA, surtout sans garde-fous clairs, c'est un terrain glissant. Anthropic a l'air de vouloir poser des limites, c'est une bonne chose en soi. Mais au final, c'est OpenAI qui récupère le contrat ? Ça ressemble à une course à l'armement technologique entre géants de l'IA. Où est la réflexion éthique collective ? 🤔
