Anthropic has filed lawsuits against the US Department of Defence (DOD) after the agency labelled the company a supply-chain risk.
Anthropic described the government’s action as 'unprecedented and unlawful.'
Anthropic’s lawsuit has received support from employees at other AI companies.
Claude-maker Anthropic has filed lawsuits against the US Department of Defence (DOD) after the agency recently labelled the company a supply-chain risk. The AI company filed two complaints on Monday, one in California and another in Washington. This step comes after weeks of disagreement between Anthropic and the DOD over the military’s request for full access to Anthropic’s AI systems. Keep reading for all the details.
SurveyWhy it happened
The conflict began when the Pentagon asked for broader access to Anthropic’s AI systems. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth argued that the military should be able to use AI for ‘any lawful purpose’ and that private companies should not limit how the government uses such technology.
However, Anthropic had two clear red lines. The company said it did not want its technology used for mass surveillance of Americans and believes current AI systems are not ready to power fully autonomous weapons without humans making targeting and firing decisions.
Soon after the disagreement, the Pentagon signed an agreement with OpenAI and labelled Anthropic a supply-chain risk. The label requires companies working with the Defense Department to confirm that they do not use Anthropic’s AI models.
In its lawsuit filed in San Francisco federal court, Anthropic described the government’s action as ‘unprecedented and unlawful.’ ‘The Constitution does not allow the government to wield its enormous power to punish a company for its protected speech,’ the lawsuit added.
The AI company also claims the designation was issued without following the required legal procedures.
Anthropic has also filed a separate complaint in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Under federal procurement law, companies are allowed to challenge supply-chain risk labels in court. Through this petition, Anthropic is asking the court to review the Defence Department’s decision and cancel the designation that labelled the company a national security supply-chain risk.
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Support from Google and OpenAI employees
Anthropic’s lawsuit has received support from employees at other AI companies. More than 30 employees from OpenAI and Google DeepMind filed a statement backing the company in court, reports TechCrunch. ‘The government’s designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk was an improper and arbitrary use of power that has serious ramifications for our industry,’ the filing states.
The employees also argued that if the Pentagon was unhappy with the terms of its contract with Anthropic, it could have simply canceled the agreement and worked with another AI provider.
‘If allowed to proceed, this effort to punish one of the leading U.S. AI companies will undoubtedly have consequences for the United States’ industrial and scientific competitiveness in the field of artificial intelligence and beyond,’ the brief reads. ‘And it will chill open deliberation in our field about the risks and benefits of today’s AI systems.’
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Ayushi Jain
Ayushi works as Chief Copy Editor at Digit, covering everything from breaking tech news to in-depth smartphone reviews. Prior to Digit, she was part of the editorial team at IANS. View Full Profile
