Trump Orders Federal Agencies to Cut Ties with AI Firm Anthropic
President Donald Trump directed all federal agencies to cease operations with AI platform Anthropic, citing security concerns. The Pentagon's ongoing dispute with Anthropic over AI military applications led to a six-month phaseout, despite Anthropic's intentions for ethical AI use. Senator Warner criticized Trump's politically charged decision.
In a surprising move, President Donald Trump announced on Friday a directive for all federal agencies to terminate their associations with artificial intelligence entity Anthropic. This action will impact the Defense Department, which has a lucrative $200 million contract with the San Francisco-based company.
The burgeoning discord between the Pentagon and Anthropic centers around apprehensions over the potential military applications of AI, with the Pentagon threatening to invoke the Defense Production Act for compliance. Although the Pentagon labeled Anthropic as a possible supply-chain risk, Trump warned that harsher consequences could follow if the company failed to cooperate.
Senator Mark Warner criticized Trump's decision as being rooted more in political motivation than in strategic national security assessments. This conflict echoes past tensions between tech companies and the government over AI ethics, with Anthropic seeking assurances that their AI won't be used for autonomous weaponry or mass surveillance.
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