The United States Department of Defense has reportedly given Anthropic a deadline: loosen your AI restrictions or risk losing Pentagon support.
Claude, Anthropic’s advanced AI model, is embedded in U.S. military systems through Palantir Technologies. While details are classified, reports suggest it has been used in high-level intelligence operations.
Anthropic’s safeguards prevent the AI from assisting in certain targeting decisions or enabling autonomous weapons systems. Defense officials argue that AI supporting military missions cannot operate with corporate-imposed limits.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth could invoke the Defense Production Act — a powerful tool that allows the government to direct companies to meet national defense needs.
Meanwhile, firms like xAI have reportedly agreed to comply fully with Pentagon standards.
If Anthropic stands firm, it risks being sidelined. If it gives in, it risks redefining its safety-first identity.
Either way, this could reshape the relationship between Silicon Valley and the U.S. military.
