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.
The Pentagon’s contract dispute with Anthropic is part of a wider clash about the use of artificial intelligence for national security and who decides on any safeguards.
The company had clashed with the military over how officials wanted to use its cutting-edge A.I. model. The order could vastly complicate intelligence analysis and defense work.
“In a narrow set of cases, we believe A.I. can undermine, rather than defend, democratic values,” Dario Amodei, the chief executive of Anthropic, had said in a statement explaining his refusal of the Pentagon’s terms.
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