US President Donald Trump said Friday he is directing every federal agency to immediately cease all use of Anthropic’s technology, escalating a dispute between the Pentagon and the artificial intelligence company over how its tools could be used in warfare.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump declared: “I am directing EVERY Federal Agency in the United States Government to IMMEDIATELY CEASE all use of Anthropic’s technology. We don’t need it, we don’t want it, and will not do business with them again!”
He added that there would be a six-month phase-out period for agencies such as the Defense Department that are currently using the company’s products “at various levels.”
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, on Thursday, said the company would not remove safeguards from its Claude AI system despite Pentagon pressure, arguing that certain uses, including mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons, cross ethical and technical boundaries. “We cannot in good conscience accede to their request,” Amodei said, adding that while Anthropic supports using AI to strengthen U.S. national security, current systems are “simply not reliable enough” to eliminate human oversight in targeting decisions.
Trump framed the decision as a matter of national security and executive authority.
“The United States of America will never allow a Radical Left, Woke company to dictate how our great Military fights and wins wars!” he wrote. “That decision belongs to your Commander-in-Chief, and the tremendous leaders I appoint to run our Military.”
The President accused Anthropic of attempting to strong-arm the Department of War and said, “the company’s actions were putting American lives at risk, our Troops in danger, and our National Security in jeopardy.”
He warned that Anthropic better get their act together during the phase-out period or face major civil and criminal consequences.
Trump’s directive comes amid tensions between the Pentagon and the AI lab over concerns about military use of artificial intelligence. The administration has not released further details about the nature of the disagreement.
The move signals a sharp shift in the government’s relationship with one of the country’s leading AI developers and could have significant implications for federal technology procurement and defense operations.
