Tech workers back Anthropic in standoff over military AI use

Anthropic is in a stalemate with the Pentagon—the United States Department of War—regarding the military’s request for unrestricted access to its technology. The standoff has intensified ahead of the Pentagon’s Friday afternoon deadline for compliance. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth threatened to declare Anthropic a supply chain risk or invoke the Defense Production Act (DPA)—a US law allowing the government to force industrial production—if the company does not comply. In a statement on Thursday, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei rejected the demands. “These latter two threats are inherently contradictory: one labels us a security risk; the other labels Claude as essential to national security. Regardless, these threats do not change our position: we cannot in good conscience accede to their request,” Amodei said.

In response to the pressure, employees at other AI firms are organizing. More than 300 Google employees and over 60 OpenAI employees signed an open letter supporting Anthropic’s refusal to comply with the Pentagon’s demands. The signatories are urging their own corporate leaders to stand with Anthropic and maintain boundaries against mass surveillance and fully automated weaponry. The letter warns that the government is attempting to exploit differences, arguing that the strategy of dividing companies through fear of unilateral concession only succeeds if the labs remain ignorant of each other’s positions. The employees expressed hope that their leaders would set aside differences and collectively reject the demands of the Department of War.

While executives have not formally responded to the letter, informal reactions suggest alignment with Anthropic’s position. In an interview with CNBC on Friday morning, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated that he does not personally think the Pentagon should be threatening the Defense Production Act against these companies. An OpenAI spokesperson also reported that the company shares Anthropic’s red lines against autonomous weapons and mass surveillance. Additionally, Jeff Dean, the Chief Scientist at Google DeepMind, publicly opposed the use of AI for domestic monitoring, writing that mass surveillance violates the Fourth Amendment, chills freedom of expression, and is highly susceptible to political or discriminatory misuse.

Why it matters

The conflict highlights a growing tension between AI labs and the U.S. military over the ethical boundaries of AI deployment, specifically regarding mass surveillance and autonomous weaponry.