OpenAI Secures Pentagon Contract After Anthropic Ban
OpenAI has signed a deal with the United States Department of Defense to deploy its artificial intelligence tools within classified military systems, just hours after the administration of Donald Trump ordered federal agencies to stop using products from rival AI firm Anthropic.
The agreement was confirmed late Friday by OpenAI’s chief executive, Sam Altman, who said the deal includes strict safeguards governing how the company’s technology can be used by the military.
Altman said OpenAI and the Pentagon aligned on core safety principles, including bans on domestic mass surveillance and requirements that humans retain responsibility over the use of force, even in systems involving autonomous weapons.
“These principles are reflected in US law and policy, and they are written directly into our agreement,” Altman said in a post on X, adding that OpenAI would also develop technical controls to ensure its models operate within agreed limits.
The announcement came on the same day the Trump administration directed federal agencies to discontinue the use of Anthropic’s AI tools. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Anthropic had been classified as a “supply chain risk” after refusing to accept Pentagon terms related to the use of its technology in weapons systems and large-scale surveillance.
Anthropic had reportedly sought similar restrictions to those outlined by OpenAI but declined to proceed under conditions it viewed as insufficiently protective.
Hegseth later shared Altman’s statement online, while Emil Michael, the Pentagon’s under secretary for technology, praised OpenAI’s approach.
“When it comes to matters of life and death for our warfighters, having a reliable partner that engages in good faith makes all the difference as we enter the AI age,” Michael said.
The contrasting outcomes highlight growing tensions between the US government and leading AI developers over how advanced systems should be deployed in military and intelligence settings, particularly as Washington moves to integrate artificial intelligence more deeply into national defence operations.
