Anthropic rejects Pentagon's demands for full access to AI model Claude

The tech firm Anthropic on Thursday rejected the Pentagon's demands for full access to its AI model Claude, declaring that War Secretary Pete Hegseth's "threats" will not sway them.

Hegseth told Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei on Tuesday that he has until the end of this week to provide the military a signed document that would grant full access to Claude, sources told CBS News.

Defense officials are considering invoking the Defense Production Act to make Anthropic fulfill the military's request, the sources said.

"I believe deeply in the existential importance of using AI to defend the United States and other democracies, and to defeat our autocratic adversaries," Amodei said in a statement. "Anthropic understands that the Department of War, not private companies, makes military decisions. 

"We have never raised objections to particular military operations nor attempted to limit use of our technology in an ad hoc manner," he continued. "However, in a narrow set of cases, we believe AI can undermine, rather than defend, democratic value."

Defense officials want full control of Anthropic's AI technology for use in its military operations, Amodei indicated, but Anthropic does not want its AI technology used for mass domestic surveillance or to operate fully autonomous weapons, arguing that current AI systems are not reliable enough to power the weapons.

DOD officials noted to CBS that surveillance of Americans is illegal and that the military is simply asking for a license to use the AI for strictly lawful activities.

"It is the Department’s prerogative to select contractors most aligned with their vision," Amodei said. "But given the substantial value that Anthropic’s technology provides to our armed forces, we hope they reconsider. Our strong preference is to continue to serve the Department and our warfighters—with our two requested safeguards in place."

Amodei noted that if the Pentagon does choose to end its relationship with his company, then he will work to "enable a smooth transition to another provider."

"We remain ready to continue our work to support the national security of the United States," he added.