The dispute between the United States Department of Defense and Anthropic just got bitter. With Anthropic’s refusal to accept the Pentagon’s final offer to remove the guardrails and “allow any lawful use of Claude,” the U.S. Defense Department now appears set on cutting ties with the generative AI company.
Stepping into the fiasco to slam the company with his terse words for being unwilling to cooperate with the government’s security wing is none other than US President Donald Trump.
Trump sees the entire situation as his “America-first” policy being sabotaged by a “radical left woke company” that he claims is putting the nation’s “security in jeopardy.” Let’s explore in detail what Trump’s response was to the AI company’s refusal to allow the U.S. military unrestricted access to its flagship AI model.
Donald Trump demands the boycott of Anthropic’s technology
With all guns blazing, Trump fired shots at the San Francisco–based AI firm on his social media platform, Truth Social. Accusing the company of leaning too far into leftist ideology, Trump said he would not allow it to dictate how the U.S. military “wins wars.”
Launching the gauntlet at the firm, he stated that it had committed a “disastrous mistake” by strong-arming the “Department of War” and “forcing” the agency to obey its safety clauses. “The Leftwing nut jobs at Anthropic have made a DISASTROUS MISTAKE trying to STRONG-ARM the Department of War, and force them to obey their Terms of Service instead of our Constitution. Their selfishness is putting AMERICAN LIVES at risk, our Troops in danger, and our National Security in JEOPARDY,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Trump went on to direct all federal agencies of the United States government to stop using Anthropic’s technology effective immediately. He ordered government agencies to adhere to a “six-month phase-out period” to begin weaning off the company’s products. He further demanded that the company be “helpful” during the phase-out period, otherwise “major civil and criminal” consequences could follow.
“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 will not do business with them again!” the US President wrote on his social media app.
Related: Donald Trump’s Top Defense R&D Official Calls Anthropic CEO A “Liar” With “God-Complex”
Anthropic sought safeguards against the use of its flagship AI model, Claude, for mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons systems. Explaining the grounds for his refusal to accept the Pentagon’s final offer, CEO Dario Amodei stated that the legal language in the contract was framed in such a way that the guardrails could be disregarded.
Amodei added that his company’s stance on the matter would not change, as he “cannot in good conscience accede” to the demands.
The DoD had reportedly threatened to cancel the $200 million contract in place and deemed Anthropic a “supply chain risk.” With Trump’s latest post, it remains to be seen whether there will be any change in Anthropic’s position on the matter, or if the doors for the company to aid government services become permanently shut.
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