OMM Redaksiyası
The US Department of Defence has stopped using artificial intelligence tools made by “Anthropic”, a department official told the BBC, months after the company was designated a national security supply chain risk.
The statement follows reports from people familiar with the matter that the Pentagon was still using “Anthropic”’s “Claude” model in research, intelligence gathering and military operations against Iran as recently as last week. Reuters reported the developments.
The sources said “Claude” was used to analyse large volumes of information and was integrated into the “Maven Smart System”, a data platform operated by “Palantir” that the Pentagon uses to organise intelligence and other information.
Claude was integrated into Pentagon’s Maven system
Analysts and defence officials use “Maven” to access and organise visual data, including satellite imagery and drone footage. Sources said that information was then processed by “Claude” and other large language models, including to identify potential military targets.
Officials also used the technology to prepare one-page briefings for senior commanders, according to a source who was shown the system by “Palantir” earlier this year. A person familiar with “Maven” said recent demonstrations for government officials had also included “Claude”.
Lauren Kahn, a senior research analyst at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology and a former US defence official, said “Claude”’s deep integration into “Maven” would have made it difficult to remove quickly.
“Once they become integrated it can be painful to remove them,” Kahn said.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth designated “Anthropic” a supply chain risk in February and said the Pentagon would stop using its products by late August. The department had set a six-month phase-out deadline on 27 February, one day before the United States and Israel attacked Iran.
Dispute centred on AI safety restrictions
The Pentagon had pressed “Anthropic” to remove safety restrictions from “Claude” and give the military unrestricted access to its tools. The company refused, citing concerns about mass surveillance and autonomous weapons.
“Anthropic” called the designation unprecedented and unlawful and has sued the Trump administration in an effort to overturn it. The Pentagon has also signed contracts with other major technology companies, including “Google”, “xAI” and “OpenAI”.
Two people familiar with AI use in the defence department said “OpenAI” tools had become more widely adopted in some military departments in recent months. An “Anthropic” spokesperson declined to comment on the Pentagon’s statement.
The dispute has unfolded as relations between the company and the White House appear to have warmed. President Donald Trump met “Anthropic” chief executive Dario Amodei twice at the White House last week.
After one meeting with Trump and other technology leaders, Amodei said concerns about AI risks remained under discussion and said working with the president could help address them safely. Trump praised Amodei, calling him “great” and “fantastic”.
