The Pentagon and Anthropic were close to agreeing on the use of artificial intelligence. But strong personalities, mutual dislike and a rival company unraveled a deal.
In January, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth published a memo calling on A.I. to be widely integrated across the military and for A.I. companies to offer their technology without restrictions.
Actions by the president and the Pentagon appeared to drive a wedge between Washington and the tech industry, whose leaders and workers spoke out for the start-up.