House Democrat: 'Good for Anthropic' in rejecting Pentagon demands

Google and OpenAI employees sign open letter in ‘solidarity’ with Anthropic

Hundreds of employees at Google and OpenAI have signed an open letter urging their companies to stand with Anthropic in its standoff with the Pentagon over military applications for AI tools like Claude. The letter, titled “We Will Not Be Divided,” calls on the leadership of both companies to “put aside their differences and stand together to continue to refuse the Department of War’s current demands for permission to use our models for domestic mass surveillance and autonomously killing people without human oversight.” These are two lines that Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has said should not be crossed by his or any other AI company. As of publication, the letter has over 450 signatures, almost 400 of which come from Google employees and the rest from OpenAI. Currently, roughly 50 percent of all participants have chosen to attach their names to the cause, with the rest remaining anonymous. All are verified as current employees of these companies. The original organizers of the letter aren’t Google or OpenAI employees; they say are unaffiliated with any AI company, political party or advocacy group. The open letter is the latest development in the saga between Anthropic and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who threatened to label the company a “supply chain risk” if it did not agree to withdraw certain guardrails for classified work. The Pentagon has also been in talks with Google and OpenAI about using their models for classified work, with xAI coming on board earlier this week. The letter argues the government is "trying to divide each company with fear that the other will give in.” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told his employees on Friday that the ChatGPT maker will draw the same red lines as Anthropic, according to an internal memo seen by Axios. He told CNBC on the same day that he doesn't "personally think the Pentagon should be threatening DPA against these companies." This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-and-openai-em

TechCrunchabout 3 hours ago

Anthropic vs. the Pentagon: What’s actually at stake?

Anthropic and the Pentagon are clashing over AI use in autonomous weapons and surveillance, raising high-stakes questions about national security, corporate control, and who sets the rules for military AI.

The Hillabout 4 hours ago

Hundreds of Google, OpenAI employees back Anthropic in Pentagon fight

Hundreds of employees at Google and OpenAI are backing artificial intelligence technology company Anthropic, which faces a Friday evening deadline to give the Pentagon permission to use its AI system as it wishes or face repercussions from the department. Employees who signed a letter alleged the Pentagon was trying to “get them to agree to...

The Vergeabout 5 hours ago

AI vs. the Pentagon: killer robots, mass surveillance, and red lines

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 29: U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (C) speaks during a meeting of the Cabinet as U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick (R) listen in the Cabinet Room of the White House on January 29, 2026 in Washington, DC. President Trump is holding the meeting as the Senate plans to hold a vote on a spending package to avoid another government shutdown, however Democrats are holding out for a deal to consider funding for the Department of Homeland Security. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) | Getty Images Can AI firms set limits on how and where the military uses their models? Anthropic is in heated negotiations with the Pentagon after refusing to comply with new military contract terms that would require it to loosen the guardrails on its AI models, allowing for “any lawful use,” even mass surveillance of Americans and fully autonomous lethal weapons. Pentagon CTO Emil Michael is pushing for Anthropic to be designated a “supply chain risk” if it doesn’t comply, a label usually only given to national security threats. Anthropic’s rivals OpenAI and xAI have reportedly agreed to the new terms, but even after a White House meeting with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei is still refusing to cross his company’s red line, stating that “threats do not change our position: we cannot in good conscience accede to their request.” Follow along here for the latest updates on the clash between AI companies and the Pentagon… We don’t have to have unsupervised killer robots Anthropic refuses Pentagon’s new terms, standing firm on lethal autonomous weapons and mass surveillance Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon AI bro squad includes a former Uber executive and a private equity billionaire Inside Anthropic’s existential negotiations with the Pentagon

The Hillabout 6 hours ago

Altman says OpenAI agrees with Anthropic’s red lines in Pentagon dispute

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said Friday that he agrees with Anthropic’s red lines in its increasingly contentious negotiations with the Pentagon over the terms of use for the company’s AI models. As the feud between Anthropic and the Department of Defense (DOD) has reached a boiling point, the AI firm has refused to budge on...

TechCrunchabout 6 hours ago

Employees at Google and OpenAI support Anthropic’s Pentagon stand in open letter

While Anthropic has an existing partnership with the Pentagon, the AI company has remained firm that its technology not be used for mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weaponry.

House Democrat: 'Good for Anthropic' in rejecting Pentagon demands

Related Articles

Google and OpenAI employees sign open letter in ‘solidarity’ with Anthropic

Anthropic vs. the Pentagon: What’s actually at stake?

Hundreds of Google, OpenAI employees back Anthropic in Pentagon fight

AI vs. the Pentagon: killer robots, mass surveillance, and red lines

Altman says OpenAI agrees with Anthropic’s red lines in Pentagon dispute

Employees at Google and OpenAI support Anthropic’s Pentagon stand in open letter

House Democrat: 'Good for Anthropic' in rejecting Pentagon demands

Related Articles

Google and OpenAI employees sign open letter in ‘solidarity’ with Anthropic

Anthropic vs. the Pentagon: What’s actually at stake?

Hundreds of Google, OpenAI employees back Anthropic in Pentagon fight

AI vs. the Pentagon: killer robots, mass surveillance, and red lines

Altman says OpenAI agrees with Anthropic’s red lines in Pentagon dispute

Employees at Google and OpenAI support Anthropic’s Pentagon stand in open letter

Related Articles

Engadgetabout 3 hours ago
Google and OpenAI employees sign open letter in ‘solidarity’ with Anthropic
Hundreds of employees at Google and OpenAI have signed an open letter urging their companies to stand with Anthropic in its standoff with the Pentagon over military applications for AI tools like Claude. The letter, titled “We Will Not Be Divided,” calls on the leadership of both companies to “put aside their differences and stand together to continue to refuse the Department of War’s current demands for permission to use our models for domestic mass surveillance and autonomously killing people without human oversight.” These are two lines that Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has said should not be crossed by his or any other AI company. As of publication, the letter has over 450 signatures, almost 400 of which come from Google employees and the rest from OpenAI. Currently, roughly 50 percent of all participants have chosen to attach their names to the cause, with the rest remaining anonymous. All are verified as current employees of these companies. The original organizers of the letter aren’t Google or OpenAI employees; they say are unaffiliated with any AI company, political party or advocacy group. The open letter is the latest development in the saga between Anthropic and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who threatened to label the company a “supply chain risk” if it did not agree to withdraw certain guardrails for classified work. The Pentagon has also been in talks with Google and OpenAI about using their models for classified work, with xAI coming on board earlier this week. The letter argues the government is "trying to divide each company with fear that the other will give in.” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told his employees on Friday that the ChatGPT maker will draw the same red lines as Anthropic, according to an internal memo seen by Axios. He told CNBC on the same day that he doesn't "personally think the Pentagon should be threatening DPA against these companies." This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-and-openai-em

TechCrunchabout 3 hours ago
Anthropic vs. the Pentagon: What’s actually at stake?
Anthropic and the Pentagon are clashing over AI use in autonomous weapons and surveillance, raising high-stakes questions about national security, corporate control, and who sets the rules for military AI.

The Hillabout 4 hours ago
Hundreds of Google, OpenAI employees back Anthropic in Pentagon fight
Hundreds of employees at Google and OpenAI are backing artificial intelligence technology company Anthropic, which faces a Friday evening deadline to give the Pentagon permission to use its AI system as it wishes or face repercussions from the department. Employees who signed a letter alleged the Pentagon was trying to “get them to agree to...

The Vergeabout 5 hours ago
AI vs. the Pentagon: killer robots, mass surveillance, and red lines
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 29: U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (C) speaks during a meeting of the Cabinet as U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick (R) listen in the Cabinet Room of the White House on January 29, 2026 in Washington, DC. President Trump is holding the meeting as the Senate plans to hold a vote on a spending package to avoid another government shutdown, however Democrats are holding out for a deal to consider funding for the Department of Homeland Security. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) | Getty Images Can AI firms set limits on how and where the military uses their models? Anthropic is in heated negotiations with the Pentagon after refusing to comply with new military contract terms that would require it to loosen the guardrails on its AI models, allowing for “any lawful use,” even mass surveillance of Americans and fully autonomous lethal weapons. Pentagon CTO Emil Michael is pushing for Anthropic to be designated a “supply chain risk” if it doesn’t comply, a label usually only given to national security threats. Anthropic’s rivals OpenAI and xAI have reportedly agreed to the new terms, but even after a White House meeting with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei is still refusing to cross his company’s red line, stating that “threats do not change our position: we cannot in good conscience accede to their request.” Follow along here for the latest updates on the clash between AI companies and the Pentagon… We don’t have to have unsupervised killer robots Anthropic refuses Pentagon’s new terms, standing firm on lethal autonomous weapons and mass surveillance Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon AI bro squad includes a former Uber executive and a private equity billionaire Inside Anthropic’s existential negotiations with the Pentagon

The Hillabout 6 hours ago
Altman says OpenAI agrees with Anthropic’s red lines in Pentagon dispute
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said Friday that he agrees with Anthropic’s red lines in its increasingly contentious negotiations with the Pentagon over the terms of use for the company’s AI models. As the feud between Anthropic and the Department of Defense (DOD) has reached a boiling point, the AI firm has refused to budge on...

TechCrunchabout 6 hours ago
Employees at Google and OpenAI support Anthropic’s Pentagon stand in open letter
While Anthropic has an existing partnership with the Pentagon, the AI company has remained firm that its technology not be used for mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weaponry.