President Donald Trump said Friday he’s ordered government agencies to stop using Anthropic’s products.
Trump’s order comes amid ongoing discussions between the Defense Department and Anthropic over the military’s use of the company’s systems.
“I am directing EVERY Federal Agency in the United States Government to IMMEDIATELY CEASE all use of Anthropic’s technology. We don’t need it, we don’t want it, and will not do business with them again!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
“Anthropic better get their act together, and be helpful during this phase out period, or I will use the Full Power of the Presidency to make them comply, with major civil and criminal consequences to follow,” Trump added.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on X that he would direct the Defense Department to label Anthropic a “Supply-Chain Risk to National Security.”
Both Hegseth and Trump announced agencies would have six months to phase out any existing federal business with Anthropic.
Anthropic, led by CEO Dario Amodei, has made clear in months of contract negotiations with the Pentagon that it would not allow its AI systems to be used for domestic surveillance or direct use in lethal autonomous weapons.
“I believe deeply in the existential importance of using AI to defend the United States and other democracies,” Amodei wrote in a statement Thursday night, but “using these systems for mass domestic surveillance is incompatible with democratic values.” Amodei added that “today, frontier AI systems are simply not reliable enough to power fully autonomous weapons.”
Anthropic currently has a contract worth up to $200 million with the Pentagon to “advance responsible AI in defense operations”.
The Pentagon said that if Anthropic does not agree to its demands by 5:00 p.m. ET Friday, they will terminate the partnership with Anthropic and label the company a “supply chain risk” – a designation usually reserved for foreign adversaries.
“The Department has stated that it does not intend to conduct mass surveillance or use autonomous weapons without humans on the loop — positions that we in Congress endorse,” the letter from the Senate leaders reads. “It is clear, however, that the issue of ‘lawful use’ requires additional work by all stakeholders. We must determine whether additional legislative or regulatory language is required, and, if so, what that law and regulation should entail.
