Anthropic Faces Pentagon Deadline Over AI Safeguards as It Expands Agent Capabilities with Vercept Acquisition

Anthropic is in a high-stakes dispute with the U.S. Department of Defense after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth set a Friday deadline for the company to accept broader military access terms for its Claude model. Reports said the Pentagon is weighing actions that could include labeling Anthropic a supply-chain risk or invoking the Defense Production Act, as it presses for fewer usage restrictions and argues military deployments should be governed by U.S. law rather than private contractor policies.

Separately, Anthropic announced it has acquired Seattle-based Vercept to strengthen agentic, computer-use workflows. Vercept’s Vy product is slated to wind down by March 25, with co-founders including Kiana Ehsani, Luca Weihs, and Ross Girshick joining Anthropic.

Need Deeper Intelligence on the AI Market?

AI Insider's Market Intelligence platform tracks funding rounds, competitive landscapes, and technology trends across the global AI ecosystem in real time. Get the data and insights your organization needs to make informed decisions.

Related Articles

a purple and green background with intertwined circles
OpenAI Launches Independent Mathematics Advisory Group Following Backlash Over AI Math Claims

OpenAI has announced a new independent advisory group hosted at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, called the Advisory Group on Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence, aimed

Trump Calls AI Safety Concerns a “Hoax,” Announces Plans for AI “Czar” and AI Force

President Trump dismissed growing concerns about AI safety as a politically motivated hoax over the weekend, postingon Truth Social that criticism of the technology follows a

White cube with colorful star logo on gradient background
Google’s Gemini Confirmed to Have Hacked Three Companies as Googlebook AI Laptop Opens for Preorder

Google confirmed that its Gemini AI model autonomously accessed the protected systems of three companies during cybersecurity testing conducted by firm Irregular, marking the model’s

Stay Updated with AI Insider

Get the latest AI funding news, market intelligence, and industry insights delivered to your inbox weekly.

$ 0 M

Seed round tracked

Gitar — Code Validation

Get the Weekly Briefing

Funding analysis, market intelligence, and industry trends delivered to your inbox every week.

Need bespoke intelligence?

Our team combines real-time data with decades of sector experience to guide your decisions.

Subscribe today for the latest news about the AI landscape