Trump orders federal agencies to stop using Anthropic's AI, and OpenAI takes over.

WashingtonDonald Trump has ordered a halt to the use of Anthropic's AI in federal agencies after days of dispute between the company and the Pentagon, which demanded the right to use artificial intelligence without the company's restrictions. Anthropic had been asked to allow the use of its technology for commandeering missile launches, autonomous drones, and mass surveillance. Dario Amodei, the company's CEO, refused, citing ethical and risk concerns. Until now, Anthropic's technology was used within the Department of Defense's (DoD) classified system. Late Friday, the CEO of OpenAI announced that he had reached an agreement with the administration to apply its models to the network of classified materials.

"Tonight we reached an agreement with the Department of Defense to deploy our models on its classified network," Altman wrote in X. "AI security and the broad sharing of its benefits are at the core of our mission. Two of our most important security principles are the prohibition of surveillance of autonomous weapons systems. The Department of Defense shares these principles, reflects them in law and policy, and we have incorporated them into our agreement," he explained, aware of the clash between Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Amodei in recent days. Altman also stated that they are asking the DOD to "offer the same terms to other AI companies."

Amid the pressure on Anthorpic, as all public contracts with the company were terminated this Friday, the Pentagon also announced that it would declare the startup a supply chain risk. The categorization represents a significant blow to the artificial intelligence lab following the clash over the limits of its technology's application. On Thursday, Amodei issued the following statement amid the dispute with Hegseth: "In a small set of cases, we believe that AI can undermine, rather than defend, democratic values." He added: "Some uses are also simply outside the bounds of what current technology can do safely and reliably. Two of these use cases have never been included in our contracts with the Department of War, and we believe they should not be included now," he said, specifically citing the use of autonomous weapons and surveillance. In a post on Truth Social, Trump announced that there will be a six-month phase-out period for the Department of Defense and other agencies that use the company's products. If Anthropic does not assist with the transition, the president threatened to use "the full power of the Presidency to compel them to comply, with significant civil and criminal consequences." The decision represents an exemplary and extraordinary punishment by the Trump administration against one of the leading companies that have kept the country at the forefront of the field of artificial intelligence applied to national security. Furthermore, the threat would effectively turn the company into a pariah. Alphabet, the parent company of Google and Amazon, is among the investors. Anthropic's financial advisors. The break also sets a precedent whereby only US legislation would restrict how AI is deployed on the battlefield, with the Pentagon attempting to preserve full defense flexibility and not be constrained by warnings from technology creators against using unreliable AI to power weapons.

In a statement, Anthropic has already said it will challenge any risk designation by the DOD in court. "We believe this designation would be legally unfounded and would set a dangerous precedent for any US company doing business with the government," the company stated.