Trump Orders Federal Agencies to Halt Use of Anthropic AI Amid Pentagon Dispute

President Donald Trump on Friday directed all federal agencies to immediately stop using artificial intelligence technology developed by Anthropic, escalating a growing conflict between the U.S. government and the AI firm over military safeguards. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the government would no longer do business with the company and ordered a full cessation of its technology across agencies, while granting departments such as the Defense Department up to six months to phase out existing systems. He also warned of “major civil and criminal consequences” if Anthropic does not cooperate during the transition.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth subsequently designated Anthropic as a national security supply chain risk, barring U.S. military contractors and partners from commercial dealings with the company. The Pentagon had been locked in negotiations with Anthropic over the military’s use of its AI model, Claude, particularly regarding the company’s demand for safeguards against mass surveillance of Americans and fully autonomous lethal decision-making. Officials argued they required unrestricted access for “all lawful purposes,” while Anthropic maintained that removing guardrails could lead to dangerous misuse, citing risks such as AI hallucinations and unintended escalation in military operations.

Anthropic said it had not received formal communication from the government and vowed to challenge the designation in court, calling the move unprecedented against a U.S. company. The firm warned that such action could set a troubling precedent for private companies negotiating with federal agencies. Meanwhile, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced his company had reached an agreement to deploy its models on classified Defense Department networks under specific safety principles. Critics, including Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Mark Warner, condemned the administration’s actions as coercive and politically driven, warning that pressuring companies to deploy AI for military use without safeguards could pose serious national security and ethical risks.

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