Anthropic says it ‘cannot in good conscience’ allow Pentagon to remove AI checks

Anthropic refused a Pentagon demand to remove safety precautions (safeguards built into AI systems to prevent harmful outputs) from its Claude AI model and allow unrestricted military use, despite threats to cancel a $200 million contract and damage the company's reputation. The Department of Defense demanded compliance by Friday or would label Anthropic a 'supply chain risk,' a designation that could harm the company financially.