OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced on Friday that the company has agreed to allow the Department of Defense to utilize its AI models within the department’s classified network.
This development follows a standoff between the department, known under the Trump administration as the Department of War, and OpenAI rival Anthropic. The Pentagon urged AI companies, including Anthropic, to permit their models for “all lawful purposes,” while Anthropic aimed to restrict usage involving mass domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons.
In a statement released Thursday, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said the company never objected to specific military operations but argued that in some cases, AI could undermine democratic values.
Over 60 OpenAI employees and 300 Google employees signed an open letter urging support for Anthropic’s stance.
When Anthropic and the Pentagon couldn’t reach an agreement, President Trump criticized Anthropic in a social media post, instructing federal agencies to phase out the company’s products within six months.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth accused Anthropic of attempting to control military operational decisions and labeled the company a supply-chain risk, prohibiting military-affiliated commercial activity with Anthropic.
On Friday, Anthropic stated they haven’t received official communication from the Department of War or the White House regarding negotiations but promised to contest any supply chain risk designation legally.
Altman posted on X that OpenAI’s contract includes protections concerning issues that affected Anthropic. OpenAI cited safety principles against mass surveillance and insisted on human oversight for autonomous weapons, with the Department of War agreeing to these in the contract.
OpenAI will implement technical safeguards and deploy engineers with the Pentagon for model safety, and Altman encouraged similar terms for all AI companies.
Altman’s announcement preceded reports of the U.S. and Israel beginning bombings in Iran, with Trump calling for an Iranian government overthrow.