U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has issued an ultimatum to AI company Anthropic to comply with Pentagon-imposed terms for using its AI models in defense, threatening penalties if not. This reflects a broader stance by the U.S. government on controlling AI use on the battlefield, with Anthropic holding some leverage in the situation.

Business| The court-martialling of Claude

Pete Hegseth goes to battle with Anthropic

Should AI labs unquestioningly obey the Pentagon’s orders?

A Department of War emblem in front of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

P ETE HEGSETH, America’s secretary of war, is taking a my-way-or-the-highway approach to the use of artificial intelligence on the battlefield. On February 24th he gave an ultimatum to Anthropic, maker of the Claude family of models: if it did not agree to terms set by the Pentagon on usage of its AI for defence purposes, it would face severe penalties. It is not the first time the Trump administration has publicly picked fights with companies that fail to follow its orders. In this case, though, Anthropic has leverage.

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