Department of Defense considers terminating ties with Anthropic over military use of AI
Negotiations between Anthropic, the developer of the generative AI 'Claude,' and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) regarding the military use of the AI have been difficult, and it has been revealed that the DoD is considering terminating the relationship.
Pentagon threatens to cut off Anthropic in AI safeguards dispute
Anthropic and the Pentagon are reportedly allegedly over Claude usage | TechCrunch
The news site Axios reported, citing a senior government official, that the Department of Defense is considering terminating its relationship with Anthropic.
The United States launched a major attack on Venezuela in January 2026, capturing President Nicolas Maduro and his wife . The Wall Street Journal reported, citing a source, that the Department of Defense used 'Claude' in the attack.
Exclusive | Pentagon Used Anthropic's Claude in Maduro Venezuela Raid - WSJ
https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/pentagon-used-anthropics-claude-in-maduro-venezuela-raid-583aff17
Anthropic prohibits the use of Claude for inciting violence, weapons development, or surveillance activities. When asked about its use in the Venezuela attack, a spokesperson declined to comment, saying, 'We cannot comment on whether Claude or any other AI model has been used in any specific operation, classified or unclassified.' 'Any use of Claude by government or private entities is subject to Anthropic's Terms of Service,' the spokesperson added.
According to Axios, the US government is demanding that four companies -- Anthropic, OpenAI (which owns GPT-5), Google (which owns Gemini), and xAI (which owns Grok) -- approve the military use of AI for 'all lawful purposes,' including particularly sensitive areas such as military operations, weapons development, and intelligence gathering.
Anthropic refused, and after months of negotiations, the Department of Defense finally lost patience and began considering terminating its relationship with Anthropic.
Four AI companies, including Anthropic, each signed a $200 million contract with the Department of Defense for national security purposes in July 2025. If the relationship is restructured, Anthropic is likely to lose this contract.
US Department of Defense awards contracts worth up to $200 million each to Anthropic, Google, OpenAI, and xAI to utilize AI for national security - GIGAZINE
It is unclear what negotiations OpenAI, Google, and xAI conducted regarding the Department of Defense's request.
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in AI, Posted by logc_nt