Anthropic sues Defense Department over supply-chain risk designation

Anthropic filed two complaints against the Department of Defense in California and Washington, D.C., after the agency labeled the company a supply-chain risk late last week. The filings follow a weeks-long dispute over whether the military should have unrestricted access to Anthropic’s AI systems; the company said it would not allow its technology to be used for mass surveillance of Americans or to power fully autonomous weapons with no humans making targeting and firing decisions.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has argued the Pentagon should have access to AI systems for "any lawful purpose" and should not be limited by a private contractor. The supply-chain risk label, typically reserved for foreign adversaries, requires firms or agencies that work with the Pentagon to certify they do not use Anthropic’s models, and the designation has already prompted the General Services Administration to terminate Anthropic’s OneGov contract, ending availability of its services to all three branches of the federal government.

United States, California, Washington, D.C.

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