Pentagon official lashes out at Anthropic as talks break down: "You have to trust your military to do the right thing"

February 27, 2026

TL;DR

The Pentagon has a deadline of Friday at 5:01 p.m. to reach a deal with Anthropic regarding the use of its AI model.
Anthropic wants guardrails preventing its AI from being used for mass surveillance of Americans or autonomous military operations.
Pentagon CTO Emil Michael claims the military has made concessions and that existing laws and policies already address Anthropic's concerns.
Michael accused Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei of being a 'liar' and having a 'God-complex.'
Anthropic stated that new contract language from the Pentagon made 'virtually no progress' on their safety concerns.
If no deal is reached, the military plans to cut ties with Anthropic and may invoke the Defense Production Act.
The dispute reflects a larger debate about AI risks, regulation, and the balance between safety and military capability.

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