After the dispute between the Pentagon and the AI company Anthropic, rival OpenAI says it has reached an agreement with the US Department of Defense on the use of its software in the military.
In the dispute between the Pentagon and the AI company Anthropic over the use of software with artificial intelligence in the US military, rival OpenAI has apparently won the contract. In a statement on Platform X, OpenAI boss Sam Altman announced that an agreement had been reached with the Ministry of Defense. Details initially remained unclear. The announcement comes hours after the Pentagon classified Anthropic as a national security risk due to inconsistencies in its use of AI.
ChatGPT operator OpenAI and the company Anthropic are competing to accommodate their software with artificial intelligence in companies and authorities.
Altman speaks of important security principles
Now OpenAI is apparently jumping into the gap. “Tonight we reached an agreement with the War Department to deploy our models on their classified network,” Altman wrote on X. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth reposted the statement, as did senior official Emil Michael.
Altman further explained that two of OpenAI’s key security principles are the prohibition of domestic mass surveillance and human responsibility for the use of force, including autonomous weapon systems. “The War Department agrees with these principles, enshrines them in law and policy, and we have incorporated them into our agreement.”
Dispute between Pentagon and Anthropic escalated
In essence, competitor Anthropic also insisted on these two points. According to its boss Dario Amodei, the company wanted to enforce limits on the use of its AI software in the US military so that the company’s AI would not be used for mass surveillance in the US or in fully autonomous weapons.
The dispute escalated on Friday: Hegseth ordered Anthropic to be classified as a “supply chain risk to national security”. Effective immediately, US military contractors, suppliers or partners will no longer be allowed to do business with the company, Hegseth wrote at
The measure comes in connection with an order from President Donald Trump that all federal agencies should stop using Anthropic technology.
Anthropic: AI not reliable for autonomous weapons
The Defense Department only wants to work with AI companies that agree to “any legal use” of their software. However, Anthropic had insisted that the restrictions requested by the company were important.
Amodei warned in a blog post that artificial intelligence makes it possible to automatically compile data from individual people scattered across the Internet into a detailed picture of their lives on a large scale. And at the same time, AI is not yet reliable enough to be used in fully autonomous weapons. “We will not knowingly deliver a product that puts America’s warriors and civilians at risk,” said the Anthropic boss.
Tensions between Anthropic and the Pentagon became public after it emerged that the company’s software was used in the US military operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. What exactly it was used for remained unclear.
Details of the OpenAI deal are not clear
It initially remained unclear what the agreement between the Pentagon and OpenAI stipulates in detail when it comes to mass surveillance and autonomous weapons.
In his statement on The desire for de-escalation was expressed.
He also explained that OpenAI will develop technical safeguards to ensure that the models behave as intended, which is also in line with the ministry’s wishes. Altman also emphasized that in all interactions, the Pentagon demonstrated a deep respect for security and a desire to work together to achieve the best possible outcome.
US official is pleased with agreement
Pentagon official Michael wrote at
/thn/DP/mis
SAN FRANCISCO (dpa-AFX)
