Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei announced he will sue the Pentagon over its decision to designate his artificial intelligence company a supply chain risk.
“Anthropic received a letter from the Department of War confirming that we have been designated as a supply chain risk to America’s national security,” Amodei said in a statement Thursday. “We do not believe this action is legally sound, and we see no choice but to challenge it in court.”
Anthropic said it received the notification letter on Wednesday, five days after the War Department’s deadline for the company to agree to grant the U.S. military unrestricted use of Anthropic’s AI systems for all legal purposes.
PENTAGON AND ANTHROPIC HAVE UNTIL 5:01 PM TO REACH A DEAL. HERE’S WHAT THEY CAN’T AGREE ON
If the company did not agree by the 5:01 p.m. deadline last week, the Pentagon said Anthropic would risk losing government contracts, could be deemed a supply chain risk, or could be subject to the Defense Production Act to assert greater control over the company’s products. The two entities largely disagree on the prospect of the military’s “unrestricted” use of Anthropic’s systems.
Just over an hour before the deadline hit, President Donald Trump ordered all federal agencies to “immediately cease” any use of Anthropic systems.
“The Leftwing nut jobs at Anthropic have made a DISASTROUS MISTAKE trying to STRONG-ARM the Department of War, and force them to obey their Terms of Service instead of our Constitution. Their selfishness is putting AMERICAN LIVES at risk, our Troops in danger, and our National Security in JEOPARDY,” Trump wrote.
Trump wrote in the Truth Social announcement that there would be a six-month phase-out period for agencies using Anthropic systems at multiple levels, like the Department of War. Trump also dangled the threat of “criminal consequences” if Anthropic did not help during the six-month period.
“Anthropic better get their act together, and be helpful during this phase out period, or I will use the Full Power of the Presidency to make them comply, with major civil and criminal consequences to follow,” Trump said.
Following Trump’s Truth Social post, War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on X that he would be designating Anthropic a supply chain risk.
“Anthropic will continue to provide the Department of War its services for a period of no more than six months to allow for a seamless transition to a better and more patriotic service. America’s warfighters will never be held hostage by the ideological whims of Big Tech. This decision is final,” Hegseth wrote.
Amodei wrote on Thursday “in the middle of major combat operations” — indirectly addressing the war in Iran, which began overnight after the Anthropic deadline passed — that Anthropic will continue to provide the Pentagon its models “at nominal cost and with continuing support from our engineers, for as long as is necessary to make that transition, and for as long as we are permitted to do so.”
TRUMP ORDERS EVERY FEDERAL AGENCY TO STOP USING ANTHROPIC AN HOUR BEFORE PENTAGON DEADLINE
“Our most important priority right now is making sure that our warfighters and national security experts are not deprived of important tools in the middle of major combat operations,” Amodei said.
The Washington Examiner has reached out to the Pentagon for comment.
