The White House and Pentagon are taking opposing positions on whether federal agencies should use Anthropic's artificial intelligence systems, escalating a dispute over national security risks and government access to advanced AI tools.
Pentagon Moves To Restrict Anthropic
The Pentagon blacklisted Anthropic from military work after concerns about potential misuse of its AI for surveillance and autonomous weapons systems, ordering agencies to remove its products within six months.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth criticized the company's leadership, calling CEO Dario Amodei an "ideological lunatic" during a Senate hearing last week, and comparing the situation to "Boeing giving us airplanes and telling us who we can shoot at."
Pentagon officials have labeled Anthropic a "supply chain risk," a designation typically reserved for foreign adversaries, and have ordered its removal from defense systems within months, with limited exceptions.
President Donald Trump has signaled a more flexible stance, told CNBC that a deal with Anthropic is "possible," and praised its technical talent.
"They're very smart and I think they can be of great use," he said.
Jessica Tillipman, a government procurement law expert, said the federal approach has become inconsistent. "They've now adopted completely inconsistent positions across the government," she told The Hill.
She added, "One agency continues to dig its heels... and the rest is trying to actually work in reality."
US Split Over Anthropic AI Risk And Access
Earlier, U.S. officials remained divided over Anthropic's AI systems, with the Pentagon labeling its Claude models a supply chain risk and considering phasing them out across agencies.
Pentagon tech chief Emil Michael said Anthropic's Mythos model could help identify cybersecurity vulnerabilities but described it as a "separate national security moment" requiring broader government safeguards.
White House officials were drafting an AI policy for national security agencies promoting the use of multiple AI providers and exploring ways to allow controlled access to Mythos despite the Pentagon's concerns.
The dispute came as Amodei engaged with White House officials in efforts to resolve tensions following a Pentagon ban and a lawsuit over its risk designation.
Despite the conflict, federal agencies were still considering limited access to Mythos under proposed safeguards, highlighting ongoing uncertainty in U.S. AI policy.