HomeOpenAI, Google staff rush to defend Anthropic in DOD lawsuit
According to court filings, more than 30 employees from OpenAI and Google DeepMind filed a statement on Monday supporting Anthropic’s lawsuit against the U.S. Defense Department after the federal agency designated the AI company as a supply chain risk.
The brief, signed by Google DeepMind chief scientist Jeff Dean among others, states: “The government’s designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk was an improper and arbitrary exercise of authority that carries serious consequences for our industry.”
Late last week, the Pentagon labeled Anthropic a supply chain risk — a designation usually reserved for foreign adversaries — after the AI firm refused to allow the Department of Defense to use its technology for mass surveillance of Americans or autonomous weapons deployment. The DOD had argued that it should be allowed to use AI for any “lawful” purpose without being constrained by a private contractor.
The amicus brief supporting Anthropic appeared on the docket just a few hours after the Claude maker filed two lawsuits against the DOD and other federal agencies. Wired was the first to report the story.
In the court filing, the Google and OpenAI employees argue that if the Pentagon was “no longer satisfied with the agreed-upon terms of its contract with Anthropic,” the agency could have “simply canceled the contract and purchased the services of another leading AI company.”
The DOD did, in fact, sign a deal with OpenAI shortly after designating Anthropic as a supply chain risk — a move that many of the ChatGPT maker’s employees protested.
The brief continues: “If allowed to proceed, this effort to penalize one of the leading U.S. AI companies will undoubtedly have consequences for the United States’ industrial and scientific competitiveness in artificial intelligence and beyond. And it will chill open deliberation in our field about the risks and benefits of today’s AI systems.”
The filing also affirms that Anthropic’s stated red lines are legitimate concerns requiring strong guardrails. Without public law governing AI use, it argues, the contractual and technical restrictions developers impose on their systems serve as a critical safeguard against catastrophic misuse.
Many of the employees who signed the statement also added their names to open letters in recent weeks, urging the DOD to withdraw the label and calling on their company leaders to support Anthropic and refuse unilateral use of their AI systems.
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According to court filings, more than 30 employees from OpenAI and Google DeepMind filed a statement on Monday supporting Anthropic’s lawsuit against the U.S. Defense Department after the federal agency designated the AI company as a supply chain risk.
The brief, signed by Google DeepMind chief scientist Jeff Dean among others, states: “The government’s designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk was an improper and arbitrary exercise of authority that carries serious consequences for our industry.”
Late last week, the Pentagon labeled Anthropic a supply chain risk — a designation usually reserved for foreign adversaries — after the AI firm refused to allow the Department of Defense to use its technology for mass surveillance of Americans or autonomous weapons deployment. The DOD had argued that it should be allowed to use AI for any “lawful” purpose without being constrained by a private contractor.
The amicus brief supporting Anthropic appeared on the docket just a few hours after the Claude maker filed two lawsuits against the DOD and other federal agencies. Wired was the first to report the story.
In the court filing, the Google and OpenAI employees argue that if the Pentagon was “no longer satisfied with the agreed-upon terms of its contract with Anthropic,” the agency could have “simply canceled the contract and purchased the services of another leading AI company.”
The DOD did, in fact, sign a deal with OpenAI shortly after designating Anthropic as a supply chain risk — a move that many of the ChatGPT maker’s employees protested.
The brief continues: “If allowed to proceed, this effort to penalize one of the leading U.S. AI companies will undoubtedly have consequences for the United States’ industrial and scientific competitiveness in artificial intelligence and beyond. And it will chill open deliberation in our field about the risks and benefits of today’s AI systems.”
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Many of the employees who signed the statement also added their names to open letters in recent weeks, urging the DOD to withdraw the label and calling on their company leaders to support Anthropic and refuse unilateral use of their AI systems.
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