Anthropic back in talks with Pentagon — days after CEO said he refused to give Trump dictator-style praise | Latest Tech News
Anthropic is back in “last-ditch” talks with the Pentagon to resolve a bitter dispute over AI safeguards — days after CEO Dario Amodei claimed the conflict stemmed partly from its refusal to give “dictator-style praise” to President Trump, according to experiences.
Amodei has been holding discussions with Emil Michael, the War Department’s undersecretary for research and engineering as half of a “last-ditch effort” to attain a contract governing the navy’s use of the company’s AI fashions, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.
Talks have reportedly resumed just days after Amodei circulated a 1,600-word memo to employees that accused rival OpenAI of concocting “just straight up lies” about its disputes with the Pentagon over surveillance and autonomous weapons.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said his company’s conflict with the Pentagon stems partly from its refusal to offer “dictator-style praise” to President Trump. AFP via Getty Images
The Anthropic boss also told workers in the Friday memo he believes the administration’s animus stems from the fact that he declined to “donate to Trump,” tech news web site The Information reported earlier.
“The real reasons DoW and the Trump admin do not like us is that we haven’t donated to Trump (while OpenAI/Greg have donated a lot)…” Amodei wrote, referencing Greg Brockman, OpenAI’s president and co-founder.
A deal would enable the Pentagon to continue utilizing Anthropic’s technology and might help the company keep away from being formally designated a “supply chain risk,” a step threatened by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that would drive companies in the navy provide chain to cut ties with the startup.
Hegseth has yet to make the designation.
Amodei, who donated to failed Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, blasted what he described as dishonest messaging from OpenAI and the Pentagon, writing in the memo: “I want to be very clear on the messaging that is coming from OpenAI, and the mendacious nature of it.”
He added that “a lot of OpenAI and DoW messaging just straight up lies about these issues or tries to confuse them,” and insisted that “it is false that ‘OpenAI’s terms were offered to us and we rejected them.’”
President Trump ordered federal companies to stop utilizing Anthropic’s AI after a dispute over navy safeguards. The White House/AFP via Getty Images
The memo was despatched just as OpenAI announced it will present AI providers to the Pentagon following the breakdown of negotiations between Anthropic and the Trump administration.
Altman pushed back at Anthropic’s criticisms during remarks Thursday, arguing that AI corporations ought to in the end defer to elected leaders somewhat than dictate coverage to governments.
“The government is supposed to be more powerful than private companies,” Altman said at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference.
Altman also advised it will be “bad for society” if corporations deserted their dedication to the democratic course of merely because they disagreed with the people in energy.
OpenAI’s Sam Altman moved rapidly to strike a Pentagon AI deal after the Trump administration cut ties with rival Anthropic. Getty Images
While defending OpenAI’s deal with the Pentagon, Altman acknowledged that the timing — coming hours after rival Anthropic was blacklisted — could have appeared awkward, saying the transfer “looked opportunistic and sloppy.”
The administration ordered all federal companies to halt use of Anthropic’s providers — prompting protection contractor Lockheed Martin to comply with go well with.
Amodei, who has been urged by buyers to make peace with the Trump administration, also took purpose at OpenAI’s strategy to navy safeguards, claiming the company’s Pentagon deal depends on protections that are “maybe 20% real and 80% safety theater.”
He argued the Pentagon rejected stronger safeguards proposed by Anthropic while accepting weaker ones from OpenAI.
The Anthropic boss also accused OpenAI CEO Sam Altman of making an attempt to undercut his company while placing his own Pentagon deal, writing that Altman was “presenting himself as someone who wants to ‘set the same contract for everyone in the industry’” while “behind the scenes” working with the Department of War to exchange Anthropic “the instant we are designated a supply chain risk.”
The talks comply with a heated breakdown in negotiations between Amodei and Pentagon officers over language Anthropic needed included in the contract to block the use of its AI for mass home surveillance and absolutely autonomous weapons.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth threatened to designate Anthropic a “supply chain risk” after talks over AI safeguards collapsed. Getty Images
Meanwhile, OpenAI is scrambling to add language in its contract with the Pentagon that would imposed further safeguards designed to forestall the use of its technology to spy on American residents, according to the FT.
The ChatGPT maker has already revised contract language to prohibit “intentional,” “deliberate” or “targeted” surveillance of US residents and is working to add additional protections during a three-month implementation period, according to people acquainted with the talks.
The effort comes after rival Anthropic refused to settle for comparable contract phrases over considerations about home surveillance and autonomous weapons, prompting the Pentagon to pursue an settlement with OpenAI instead, the FT reported.
The Post has sought remark from the White House, OpenAI, Anthropic and the Department of War.
Stay informed with the latest in tech! Our web site is your trusted source for breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, gadget launches, software program updates, cybersecurity, and digital innovation.
For contemporary insights, skilled coverage, and trending tech updates, go to us commonly by clicking right here.
