Anthropic is garnering more supporters in its conflict with the U.S. Department of Defense, which designated the AI lab as a supply-chain risk last month due to its refusal to allow military use of its AI.
In a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) called the DoD’s action “retaliation,” suggesting that they could have just ended their contract with Anthropic, as reported by CNBC.
“I am particularly concerned that the DoD is trying to strong-arm American companies into providing the Department with tools to spy on American citizens and deploy fully autonomous weapons without adequate safeguards,” wrote Warren, adding that the barring of Anthropic “appears to be retaliation,” according to the report.
Warren’s concerns echo those of other organizations criticizing the Defense Department’s handling of Anthropic. Tech companies, including OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft, along with legal rights groups, have filed amicus briefs supporting Anthropic, opposing the designation, which is typically reserved for foreign adversaries, not U.S. firms.
The conflict began when Anthropic informed the Pentagon that it didn’t want its AI systems used for mass surveillance of Americans and that the tech wasn’t ready for targeting or firing decisions of autonomous weapons without human involvement. The Pentagon argued that a private company shouldn’t dictate military technology use, labeling Anthropic as a “supply-chain risk.” This label requires any Pentagon contractor to certify that it doesn’t use Anthropic’s products, effectively barring Anthropic from collaborating with companies working with the government.
Warren’s letter arrived the day before a San Francisco hearing where District Judge Rita Lin will decide on granting Anthropic a preliminary injunction to maintain the status quo during its litigation against the DoD.
While Anthropic is suing for infringement of First Amendment rights and punishment based on ideology, the DoD maintains that Anthropic’s refusal for all lawful military use of its tech was a business decision, not protected speech, and that the designation was a straightforward national security action.
The AI lab submitted two court declarations claiming the government’s logic is flawed, based on technical misunderstandings and issues not raised during negotiations with the DoD.
Warren has also written to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman for details of the company’s agreement with the DoD, made shortly after Anthropic was blacklisted.
Both Anthropic and the Defense Department did not respond to requests for comment.