On Thursday, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei stated he “cannot in good conscience accede to [the Pentagon’s] request” for unrestricted military access to the company's AI systems. In a released statement, Amodei wrote, “Anthropic understands that the Department of War, not private companies, makes military decisions.” He continued, “However, in a narrow set of cases, we believe AI can undermine, rather than defend, democratic values. Some uses are also simply outside the bounds of what today’s technology can safely and reliably do.”

Amodei specified two prohibited use cases: the mass surveillance of American citizens and the deployment of fully autonomous weapons systems that operate without human oversight. The Pentagon's position is that it should be free to use Anthropic's models for all lawful purposes without restrictions imposed by a private entity.

This statement was issued less than 24 hours before a deadline set by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for Friday at 5:01 PM, by which time Anthropic must either comply with the demands or face potential consequences. The Department of Defense has pressured the company by threatening to designate it a supply chain risk—a category typically applied to foreign adversaries—or to invoke the Defense Production Act to compel cooperation.

Amodei highlighted the inconsistency in these threats, noting, “One labels us a security risk; the other labels Claude as essential to national security.” He affirmed the Department’s right to select contractors that align with its objectives, “but given the substantial value that Anthropic’s technology provides to our armed forces, we hope they reconsider.”

Currently, Anthropic is the sole frontier AI lab with systems prepared for classified military work, though reports indicate the DOD is also preparing xAI for such a role. “Our strong preference is to continue to serve the Department and our warfighters—with our two requested safeguards in place,” Amodei said. He added that if the Department decides to end the partnership, “we will work to enable a smooth transition to another provider, avoiding any disruption to ongoing military planning, operations, or other critical missions.”

In essence, Amodei's message is clear: the company is prepared to walk away amicably if its core conditions are not met.