{"title": "Anthropic Launches Legal Challenge Against Pentagon's Security Risk Classification", "body": ["AI firm Anthropic is taking legal steps to block the U.S. Department of Defense from placing it on a national security exclusion list. The move follows a recent notification from the Pentagon informing Anthropic of its status as a supply chain concern, prompting CEO Dario Amodei to signal an imminent courtroom battle."], ["The legal filing argues that the classification lacks legal basis and infringes on rights to free expression and procedural fairness. In a Reuters-reported declaration, Anthropic described the measures as 'unprecedented and unlawful,' asserting that 'the Constitution does not allow the government to wield its enormous power to punish a company for its protected speech.'"], ["An Anthropic representative provided this comment to Engadget: 'Pursuing court examination upholds our ongoing dedication to leveraging AI for national defense purposes, yet it remains essential for safeguarding our operations, clients, and collaborators. We intend to explore all avenues for settlement, encompassing discussions with authorities.'"], ["The court documents portray the official steps as an 'unprecedented and unlawful [...] campaign of retaliation,' emphasizing that 'no federal statute authorizes the actions taken here' and that constitutional protections bar such governmental overreach against corporate expression."], ["This court filing caps a period of ongoing exchanges between the AI developer and federal officials. During the final days of February, reports emerged of efforts by the Department of Defense and Secretary Pete Hegseth to compel Anthropic to eliminate specific protections in its AI technologies. Amodei firmly rejected any involvement in enabling widespread monitoring or the creation of self-operating armaments."], ["As the February 27 cutoff arrived, Amodei's stance held firm, resulting in Hegseth's warning of the impending risk label and the termination of a $200 million U.S. government agreement with the firm. That same day, President Trump directed all government entities to halt reliance on Anthropic's services. The lawsuit notes, however, that Anthropic had consented to 'collaborate with the Department on an orderly transition to another AI provider willing to meet its demands.'"], ["Competitor OpenAI entered the fray by securing an agreement with the Pentagon. OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman highlighted key safety guidelines, including 'prohibitions on domestic mass surveillance and human responsibility for the use of force, including for autonomous weapon systems'—concerns mirroring those that sparked the dispute with Anthropic. OpenAI reinforced its position by stipulating in the deal that 'the AI system shall not be intentionally used for domestic surveillance of U.S. persons and nationals.'"], ["Even so, OpenAI's director of robotics hardware departed the organization over the weekend, citing the defense pact. In a post on X, Caitlin Kalinowski expressed that 'surveillance of Americans without judicial oversight and lethal autonomy without human authorization are lines that deserved more deliberation than they got.'"]}