Anthropic sues Pentagon over AI warfare dispute; seeks to undo 'supply chain risk' designation
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Anthropic sues Pentagon over AI warfare dispute; seeks to undo 'supply chain risk' designation")
Anthropic sues Pentagon over AI warfare dispute; seeks to undo 'supply chain risk' designation Photograph: (AFP)
Anthropic sues the Trump administration, alleging retaliation after refusing to allow its Claude AI model to be used for autonomous weapons and mass surveillance
Anthropic has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, claiming the government retaliated against the company after it refused to allow its Claude AI model to be used for autonomous lethal warfare and mass surveillance of Americans. The 48-page complaint was filed Monday in federal court in San Francisco. In it, Anthropic asks the court to declare unlawful and block the government’s decision to label the company a national security supply-chain risk.
According to the lawsuit, Anthropic was founded on the principle that its AI should be developed and deployed responsibly. The company states that its technology should be "used in a way that maximizes positive outcomes for humanity" and should "be the safest and the most responsible."
"Anthropic brings this suit because the federal government has retaliated against it for expressing that principle," the lawsuit says. Anthropic says it is the first US company ever to be publicly punished with such a designation. The label is typically applied to organizations tied to foreign adversaries, such as Chinese tech giant Huawei. Because of the designation, defense vendors and contractors must certify that they are not using Anthropic’s models in any work related to the Pentagon.
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"The consequences of this case are enormous," the lawsuit states, adding that the government is “seeking to destroy the economic value created by one of the world's fastest-growing private companies.” The dispute reportedly began after tensions with Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth. Anthropic had insisted that its technology should not be used for mass surveillance or fully autonomous weapons systems. Following the disagreement, President Donald Trump ordered all federal agencies to stop using Anthropic’s technology. Shortly afterward, Hegseth formally designated the company as a "Supply-Chain Risk to National Security" and directed that no military contractor, supplier, or partner "may conduct any commercial activity with Anthropic."
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The order included a six-month transition period for the Pentagon itself. The conflict surfaced just days before the US military attack against Iran. According to the filing, Claude is the Pentagon’s most widely deployed frontier AI model and the only such system currently operating on the Department of War’s classified networks. In the lawsuit, Anthropic argues that the government’s actions violate the First Amendment by punishing the company for protected speech related to AI safety policy. The company also claims the Pentagon exceeded its legal authority and denied Anthropic due process under the Fifth Amendment.
"The Constitution does not allow the government to wield its enormous power to punish a company for its protected speech," the complaint states. Anthropic is asking the court to issue a permanent injunction that would block enforcement of the designation.
