Anthropic is currently at an impasse with the U.S. Department of War regarding the military’s demand for unfettered access to the AI firm’s technology. As the Pentagon’s Friday deadline for Anthropic’s compliance draws near, over 300 Google employees and more than 60 OpenAI workers have endorsed an open letter. This letter urges their company heads to bolster Anthropic’s stance and oppose the military’s one-sided use request.
Anthropic stands firm against employing AI for domestic mass surveillance and fully autonomous weapons. The letter’s signatories encourage their employers to unite and uphold Anthropic’s established limits.
“They’re trying to split each company with fears of the other caving,” the letter articulates. “This tactic only succeeds if we’re unaware of each other’s positions.”
The letter appeals to Google and OpenAI executives to respect Anthropic’s limits against mass surveillance and automated armament. “We hope our leaders will set aside their differences to jointly resist the Department of War’s present demands.”
Company leaders have not officially addressed the letter. TechCrunch has contacted Google and OpenAI for their comments.
Yet, informal remarks suggest both companies sympathize with Anthropic. In a Friday morning CNBC interview, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman commented that he doesn’t believe the Pentagon should be threatening to use the Defense Production Act against these companies. Per a CNN journalist, an OpenAI representative confirmed the company’s alignment with Anthropic’s red lines opposing autonomous weapons and mass surveillance.
Google DeepMind hasn’t formally addressed the issue, but its Chief Scientist Jeff Dean, seemingly speaking personally, conveyed his opposition to governmental mass surveillance.
“Mass surveillance breaches the Fourth Amendment and chills free expression,” Dean stated on X. “Surveillance is susceptible to misuse for political or biased intentions.”
An Axios report reveals that the military currently employs X’s Grok, Google’s Gemini, and OpenAI’s ChatGPT for unclassified tasks, and is in talks with Google and OpenAI about using the technology for classified projects.
Though Anthropic partners with the Pentagon, it upholds its stance against using its AI for mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei that failure to comply might lead to the Pentagon labeling Anthropic a “supply chain risk” or invoking the Defense Production Act to enforce compliance.
In a Thursday statement, Amodei reiterated his company’s stance. “These two threats are contradictory: one names us a security risk; the other names Claude essential to national security,” the statement read. “These threats do not alter our stance: we cannot, in good conscience, comply with their request.”