United States President Donald Trump has ordered all US federal agencies to phase out using AI technology from Anthropic after the firm publicly denied Washington unrestricted use of its technology.
Trump’s order followed a Pentagon deadline urging Anthropic to allow unrestricted military use of its AI or face consequences.
The AI firm had demanded guarantees that its technology would not be used in fully autonomous weapons or for mass domestic surveillance.
The Pentagon claimed it had no such interest. CEO Dario Amodei responded to Trump’s ultimatum, stating his company could not allow unrestricted access to meet the defence department’s demands.
Meanwhile, Democrats criticised the Trump administration for mishandling the matter. Senator Mark Warner of Virginia said the move “raises serious concerns about whether national security decisions are being driven by careful analysis or political considerations.”
Anthropic, currently undeterred by Trump’s threats, has a $200 million contract with the US Defence Department, though the firm has not yet responded to the president’s latest comments.
US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth posted on X, “Anthropic delivered a master class in arrogance and betrayal as well as a textbook case of how not to do business with the United States Government or the Pentagon.”
He slammed the firm, adding, “America’s warfighters will never be held hostage by the ideological whims of Big Tech.”
Anthropic responded strongly, calling Hegseth’s remarks “intimidation” from the Pentagon and stating it would “challenge any supply chain risk designation in court.”
In a Truth Social post, Trump declared, “I am directing EVERY Federal Agency in the United States Government to IMMEDIATELY CEASE all use of Anthropic’s technology. We don’t need it, we don’t want it, and we will not do business with them again!”
