In short
- Trump ordered federal companies to “instantly stop” utilizing Anthropic’s AI expertise.
- The order follows a dispute between Anthropic and the Pentagon over using Claude for unrestricted navy use.
- Trump has given companies six months to section out Anthropic techniques.
President Donald Trump has directed all U.S. federal companies to cease utilizing synthetic intelligence expertise developed by Anthropic, escalating a dispute between the AI firm and the Pentagon over how the navy makes use of the expertise.
In a Fact Social put up on Friday, Trump stated companies should “instantly stop” utilizing Anthropic merchandise, with a six-month phase-out interval for departments that already use the corporate’s expertise.
“The USA of America won’t ever enable a radical left, woke firm to dictate how our nice navy fights and wins wars!” Trump wrote. “That call belongs to your commander-in-chief and the great leaders I appoint to run our navy.
The directive follows Anthropic’s refusal on Thursday to take away safeguards stopping Claude from getting used for “mass home surveillance” or “totally autonomous weapons,” after Pentagon officers demanded contractors enable their techniques for use for “any lawful use.”
“The left-wing nut jobs at Anthropic have made a disastrous mistake attempting to strong-arm the Division of Conflict and power them to obey their phrases of service as a substitute of our Structure,” Trump wrote.
President Trump referred to as the state of affairs a menace to U.S. troops and nationwide safety.
“Their selfishness is placing American lives in danger, our troops in peril, and our nationwide safety in jeopardy,” Trump stated.
Anthropic has resisted Pentagon calls for to grant unrestricted navy use of its fashions, whereas additionally not too long ago strolling again security language in its Accountable Scaling Coverage.
On Friday, CNBC reported that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated he’s working to “assist de-escalate” the state of affairs. De-escalating the stress may very well be a heavy raise, nonetheless.
In his put up, Trump stated selections affecting U.S. navy operations should stay underneath presidential authority slightly than “some out-of-control, radical left AI firm run by individuals who don’t know what the actual world is all about,” he stated.
“Anthropic higher get their act collectively and be useful throughout this phase-out interval, or I’ll use the complete energy of the presidency to make them comply, with main civil and prison penalties to comply with,” Trump stated.
This week, Anthropic delivered a grasp class in conceitedness and betrayal in addition to a textbook case of how to not do enterprise with the US Authorities or the Pentagon.
Our place has by no means wavered and can by no means waver: the Division of Conflict should have full, unrestricted…
— Secretary of Conflict Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) February 27, 2026
Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth chimed in on the matter following Trump’s put up, providing comparable feedback relating to the choice and calling Anthropic’s transfer a “a grasp class in conceitedness and betrayal in addition to a textbook case of how to not do enterprise with the US Authorities or the Pentagon.”
“I’m directing the Division of Conflict to designate Anthropic a Provide-Chain Danger to Nationwide Safety,” Hegseth wrote on X. “Efficient instantly, no contractor, provider, or accomplice that does enterprise with the US navy could conduct any business exercise with Anthropic. Anthropic will proceed to supply the Division of Conflict its companies for a interval of not more than six months to permit for a seamless transition to a greater and extra patriotic service.”
“America’s warfighters won’t ever be held hostage by the ideological whims of Large Tech,” he added. “This resolution is ultimate.”
Following Trump’s announcement, the nonprofit Heart for Democracy and Know-how commented on the transfer in a press release despatched to Decrypt.
“The President is wielding the complete weight of the federal authorities to blacklist an organization for taking a narrowly-tailored, principled stance to limit a few of the most excessive makes use of of AI you may think about—totally autonomous weapons and the mass surveillance of People,” stated CDT President and CEO Alexandra Givens.
“This motion units a harmful precedent. It chills personal corporations’ means to have interaction frankly with the federal government about acceptable makes use of of their expertise, which is very vital in nationwide safety settings that so typically have decreased public visibility,” she added. “Retaliating in opposition to an organization for setting tailor-made, principled situations on its product’s use undermines fundamental market freedoms and makes us all much less secure.”
Editor’s observe: This story was up to date after publication to incorporate feedback from Hegseth and the CDT.
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