Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said on Thursday that he cannot in good conscience accede to the Pentagon’s request for unrestricted military access to its AI systems. In a statement, Amodei wrote that while Anthropic understands the Department of Defense makes military decisions, the company believes AI can sometimes undermine democratic values. He also stated that some proposed uses fall outside the bounds of what current technology can do safely and reliably.
Amodei specified two particular cases of concern: mass surveillance of American citizens and the deployment of fully autonomous weapons systems with no human oversight. The Pentagon, however, believes it should be able to use Anthropic’s model for all lawful purposes and that a private company should not dictate its uses.
This statement comes less than twenty-four hours before a deadline set by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for Anthropic to either agree to the Pentagon’s demands or face consequences. The Department of Defense has threatened to designate Anthropic as a supply chain risk, a label typically reserved for foreign adversaries, or to invoke the Defense Production Act to compel the company’s cooperation. That act gives the president authority to force companies to prioritize production for national defense.
Amodei pointed out the contradiction in these threats, noting that one labels Anthropic a security risk while the other labels its Claude AI system as essential to national security. He added that while it is the Department’s right to choose its contractors, he hopes they reconsider given the substantial value Anthropic’s technology provides to the armed forces.
Anthropic is currently the only frontier AI lab with classified-ready systems for the military, though reports indicate the Department of Defense is preparing xAI for a similar role.
Amodei concluded that his company’s strong preference is to continue serving the Department and warfighters, provided its two requested safeguards are in place. Should the Department choose to end the relationship, Anthropic will work to ensure a smooth transition to another provider to avoid disrupting military operations. In essence, Amodei is signaling that the two parties can simply part ways without conflict.