OpenAI has reached a deal on deploying its AI models in the classified network of the US Department of War, the firm’s CEO Sam Altman said in a post on Saturday. The development comes amid the ongoing tussle between the Pentagon and AI startup Anthropic AI.
Detailing the specifics of this key deal, Altman said that OpenAI would build technical safeguards to ensure that the AI models being deployed to the network “behave as they should”. He said that the firm’s most important principles were prohibitions on domestic mass surveillance and human responsibility for the use of force, adding that the DoW agreed to it.
“In all of our interactions, the DoW displayed a deep respect for safety and a desire to partner to achieve the best possible outcome,” Altman wrote.
Notably, the point of conflict between Anthropic AI and the Pentagon was the former’s refusal to let its AI tools be used for fully autonomous weapons and domestic mass surveillance.
The controversy further escalated after the Pentagon designated Anthropic AI a “supply chain risk” and US President Donald Trump referred to the firm as a “radical left, woke” company, warning it cannot dictate the workings of the US military.
Why Anthropic AI and Trump are at loggerheads
Founded by former OpenAI research head Dario Amodei, Anthropic received up to $200 million in Pentagon contracts last year and were tasked with intelligence analysis and cyber operations, among others. Claude, an Anthropic model, was deployed across US national security systems, including classified networks.
However, Anthropic’s refusal to allow the US military unrestricted use of its AI technology recently became a big friction point between the firm and the US administration.
While Anthropic believes that unrestricted AI use in the military would undermine democratic values, the Pentagon thinks that contractors cannot dictate how the military uses tools once they are lawfully acquired.
