Anthropic has followed through on its promise to legally challenge the Department of Defense. This action comes after the agency formally labeled Anthropic a supply chain risk late last week. The maker of Claude filed a complaint against the Department on Monday.
This legal complaint is the culmination of a weeks-long conflict between Anthropic and the DOD. The dispute centered on whether the military should have unrestricted access to Anthropic’s AI systems. Anthropic maintained two firm conditions. It did not want its technology used for mass surveillance of American citizens. It also did not believe its systems were ready to power fully autonomous weapons where humans would have no role in targeting or firing decisions.
In contrast, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth argued that the Pentagon should have access to AI systems for any lawful purpose. A supply chain risk designation is typically applied to foreign adversaries. It requires any company or agency working with the Pentagon to certify they do not use Anthropic’s models.
In its complaint filed in San Francisco federal court, Anthropic called the DOD’s actions unprecedented and unlawful. The company stated that the Constitution does not permit the government to use its vast power to punish a company for its protected speech. This story is still developing.