U.S. Government Ends Federal Use of Anthropic AI Systems Following Defense Dispute

President Donald Trump has directed federal agencies to cease use of Anthropic’s AI products after a public disagreement between the company and the Department of Defense over model usage policies. The directive allows a six-month phase-out period but bars Anthropic from future federal contracting. Shortly afterward, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth designated Anthropic a supply-chain risk to national security, prohibiting military contractors and partners from conducting commercial activity with the company.

Anthropic stated it had not received formal notice and indicated it would challenge any such designation in court. The dispute centered on Anthropic’s refusal to permit its AI systems to be used for mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons. Chief Executive Officer Dario Amodei reaffirmed those safeguards. OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman signaled alignment with similar red lines and subsequently announced a Pentagon agreement incorporating comparable protections.