Washington, DC, 27 February (H.S.): Anthropic, the maker of the Claude AI chatbot, has publicly rejected the U.S. Pentagon's demand for unrestricted access to its technology, escalating a high-stakes dispute that could jeopardize government contracts and invoke emergency federal powers.

In a bold statement released Thursday, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei declared that the company cannot in good conscience accede to the Defense Department's latest contract terms, which he criticized for failing to safeguard against potential misuse in mass surveillance of Americans or fully autonomous weapons.

This comes after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a stark ultimatum earlier this week: comply by Friday or face contract termination, designation as a supply chain risk, or forced compliance under the Cold War-era Defense Production Act.

Tensions Escalate Over AI Safeguards

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell countered that the military has no interest in unlawful surveillance or human-independent autonomous weapons, emphasizing Anthropic's policies already prohibit such applications.

He insisted the demand seeks only lawful purposes to avoid disruptions in critical operations, underscoring that no single company can dictate military terms.

Amodei highlighted the irony in the threats, noting they contradictorily portray Anthropic as both a security risk and essential to national defense.

While open to further talks, he affirmed the firm's willingness to facilitate a smooth transition to alternatives like Google, OpenAI, or xAI, which already supply the Pentagon's internal AI network.

The rift has drawn bipartisan criticism. Republican Senator Thom Tillis decried the public spat as unprofessional, urging private negotiations with a key vendor.

Democrat Senator Mark Warner labeled the Pentagon's approach as bullying and a sign of deficient AI governance, calling for congressional intervention.

Hegseth's hardline stance aligns with his post-inauguration overhaul of military legal teams, including firings at the Army and Air Force, aimed at reducing bureaucratic hurdles to innovation.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar