OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on Saturday announced that the company has reached a deal with the Department of War to deploy its AI models on its classified networks, after its main rival, Anthropic, dropped out of the system amid a standoff with the Pentagon.
“Tonight, we reached an agreement with the Department of War to deploy our models in their classified network. In all of our interactions, the DoW displayed a deep respect for safety and a desire to partner to achieve the best possible outcome,” Altman said on X.
On Friday, Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth designated Anthropic a “supply chain risk” after the agency failed to reach an agreement with the company. US President Donald Trump, similarly, ordered all government agencies to stop using Anthropic AI immediately.
What has OpenAI agreed to?
Under the deal, OpenAI and the Pentagon have agreed on two core safety principles that prohibit domestic mass surveillance and require human accountability in decisions involving the use of force, including autonomous weapons systems. The Department of War supports these principles, embeds them in law and policy, and has incorporated them into the agreement, Altman said.
He added, “We are asking the DoW to offer these same terms to all AI companies, which, in our opinion, everyone should be willing to accept. We have expressed our strong desire to see things de-escalate away from legal and governmental actions and towards reasonable agreements.”
What has Anthropic said?
Anthropic has responded to the US government’s action to shun the company amid a standoff with the Pentagon. On Friday, Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth directed that Anthropic is a “supply chain risk.”
“We have tried in good faith to reach an agreement with the Department of War, making clear that we support all lawful uses of AI for national security aside from the two narrow exceptions above. To the best of our knowledge, these exceptions have not affected a single government mission to date,” Anthropic said in a statement.
Anthropic had until Friday to respond to the Pentagon’s demand that the company grant unconditional access to its technology, even if it violates the company’s ethical standards, or face being forced to comply under emergency federal powers.
