Pentagon asks defense contractors about reliance on Anthropic’s AI services, source says

By Mike Stone and Mrinmay Dey

Feb 25 (Reuters) – The Pentagon has asked defense contractors to assess their reliance on Anthropic, a person familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, ahead of its Friday deadline for the AI service provider to respond to a request to eliminate safeguards.

The Department of Defense has been engaged in a months-long dispute with Anthropic, which Reuters reported has no intention of easing its usage restrictions for military purposes.

Talks are continuing after a meeting between the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei.

During the meeting, Hegseth said if Anthropic did not comply, the Pentagon would take action against it, with options including labeling it a supply-chain risk or invoking a law that would force Anthropic to change its rules, Reuters reported.

The Department of Defense has given Anthropic until Friday 5 p.m. Eastern time (2200 GMT) to respond, Reuters reported.

“The Office of the Secretary of War is preparing to execute on any decision that the Secretary might make on Friday regarding Anthropic,” a senior Pentagon official said.

The Pentagon has asked contractors including Lockheed Martin to provide an assessment of reliance on Anthropic, a step toward a potential designation of the AI firm as a supply-chain risk, the person familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Contacted contractors include Boeing, Axios reported on Wednesday.

A Lockheed spokesperson told Reuters the Pentagon had contacted the company. Boeing Defense, Space and Security said it does not have any active contracts with Anthropic.

Anthropic did not respond to a request for comment.

The person familiar with the matter was not authorized to speak with media so declined to be identified.

The Pentagon has pushed big AI companies including Anthropic and OpenAI to make their AI tools available on classified networks without many of the standard restrictions that the companies apply to users, Reuters has reported.

Its dispute with Anthropic stems from the AI startup’s refusal to remove safeguards that would stop its technology being used to target weapons autonomously and conduct surveillance in the U.S.

The department used Anthropic’s AI products during a military raid that captured Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, the Wall Street Journal reported.

(Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington D.C and Mrinmay Dey in Mexico City; Editing by Chris Reese and Christopher Cushing)