President Donald Trump has ordered all US federal agencies to immediately cease using technology from Anthropic, escalating a public clash over artificial intelligence safety. The directive came just hours before a Friday deadline for the AI company to loosen its ethical guidelines or face consequences from the Department of Defense.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump accused Anthropic of trying to “strong-arm” the Pentagon and said the company’s stance was “disastrous.” He wrote: “WE will decide the fate of our Country – NOT some out-of-control, Radical Left AI company.” The Pentagon had demanded Anthropic relax restrictions on its Claude AI system, including prohibitions on mass surveillance and autonomous weapons.
Hours after the ban, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced a new deal with the Pentagon to supply AI for classified military networks. Altman said the agreement enshrines the same safety principles that were the sticking point with Anthropic, including bans on domestic mass surveillance and human responsibility for the use of force. He urged the Pentagon to offer these terms to all AI companies.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth designated Anthropic a supply-chain risk to national security, a label normally reserved for foreign adversaries. He said no Pentagon contractor may do business with Anthropic, and the Government Services Administration terminated its contracts. The Pentagon had a $200 million, two-year agreement with Anthropic, which will continue for a transition period of up to six months.
Anthropic responded by saying it was “deeply saddened” and had not received direct communication from the Pentagon or White House. The company vowed to challenge the supply-chain risk designation in court, calling it an unprecedented action against an American firm. It remains possible that other AI companies could take over Anthropic’s contracts, and negotiations could still resume.
