OpenAI and Google employees back Anthropic in DOD lawsuit

On Monday, more than 30 employees from OpenAI and Google DeepMind filed an amicus brief—a legal document submitted by non-parties to a lawsuit—supporting Anthropic in its legal battle against the U.S. Defense Department. The signatories of the brief, who acted independently of their employers’ official corporate stances, include Google DeepMind chief scientist Jeff Dean. The filing was submitted shortly after Anthropic filed two lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and other federal agencies, marking a rare public alignment of tech workers from competing artificial intelligence laboratories who chose to support a rival firm.

The legal conflict began late last week when the Pentagon designated Anthropic as a “supply-chain risk.” This regulatory label was applied after the AI firm refused to allow the DOD to use its technology for mass surveillance or autonomous weapons. While the Pentagon argued that it should be permitted to use AI systems for any lawful purpose without being constrained by a private contractor’s terms, Anthropic maintained its restrictions against military use for mass surveillance of Americans and autonomously firing weapons, leading to the government’s designation.

In the amicus brief, the Google and OpenAI employees strongly challenged the government’s decision, characterizing it as an “improper and arbitrary use of power.” The signatories wrote: “The government’s designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk was an improper and arbitrary use of power that has serious ramifications for our industry.” They argued that if the Pentagon was no longer satisfied with the agreed-upon terms of its contract with Anthropic, the agency could have simply canceled the contract and purchased services from another AI company. Instead, the DOD signed a deal with OpenAI immediately after designating Anthropic a supply-chain risk—a move that prompted protests from several of OpenAI’s own employees. The brief warns that allowing this effort to punish one of the leading U.S. AI companies to proceed will have negative consequences for the United States’ industrial and scientific competitiveness in artificial intelligence and other fields, while also chilling open deliberation about the risks and benefits of AI systems.

Why it matters

The Pentagon’s designation of Anthropic as a supply-chain risk—following the company’s refusal to support mass surveillance or autonomous weapons—has sparked a rare public pushback from employees at rival AI labs. This collective action highlights the growing friction between the military and the private AI sector over the ethical boundaries and control of artificial intelligence technology.