OpenAI's Altman admits defense deal was 'opportunistic and sloppy' amid backlash
Summary
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledged that the company rushed into a deal with the U.S. Department of Defense, calling it "opportunistic and sloppy," after public backlash over the timing and terms. The company plans to amend the contract to add safeguards, including language stating that "the AI system shall not be intentionally used for domestic surveillance of U.S. persons and nationals," and will work with the Pentagon on technical protections for their AI tools.
Solution / Mitigation
OpenAI will amend the contract to include new language stating that "the AI system shall not be intentionally used for domestic surveillance of U.S. persons and nationals." The company also stated it would work with the Pentagon on technical safeguards, and Altman affirmed that the Defense Department had confirmed OpenAI's tools would not be used by intelligence agencies such as the NSA.
Classification
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Original source: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/03/openai-sam-altman-pentagon-deal-amended-surveillance-limits.html
First tracked: March 2, 2026 at 11:00 PM
Classified by LLM (prompt v3) · confidence: 85%