Anthropic's CEO says the AI company “cannot in good conscience accede” to the Pentagon’s demands to allow wider use of its technology.

Anthropic said Thursday that “virtually no progress” had been made in the company’s talks with the Pentagon over the terms of use for its AI models ahead of a Friday afternoon deadline. The

Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said Thursday that the DoD has “no interest” in using Anthropic’s models for fully autonomous weapons or to conduct mass surveillance of Americans, which he noted is illegal. He emphasized that the agency wants the company to agree to allow its models to be used for “all lawful purposes.”

The administration is threatening both to blacklist the company and to force it to allow its Claude AI model to be used as the Pentagon wishes.

The Pentagon previously requested Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, and xAI allow the use of their AI models for “all lawful purposes,” to which Anthropic put up the most resistance over fears its AI models could be used for autonomous weapons systems and mass domestic surveillance.

Company refuses to remove safeguards from its AI model over concerns about surveillance, autonomous weapons - Anadolu Ajansı

Tensions ramped up following reports that Anthropic technology had been used in the violent abduction of former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.

AI company Anthropic said Thursday it would not give the US Defense Department unrestricted use of its technology despite being pressured to comply by the Pentagon.After meeting with Anthropic early