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President Donald Trump said that he is directing the US government to stop using Anthropic's products over a disagreement between the Pentagon and the AI company.
"The Leftwing nut jobs at Anthropic have made a DISASTROUS MISTAKE trying to STRONG-ARM the Department of War, and force them to obey their Terms of Service instead of our Constitution. Their selfishness is putting AMERICAN LIVES at risk, our Troops in danger, and our National Security in JEOPARDY," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
"Therefore, I am directing EVERY Federal Agency in the United States Government to IMMEDIATELY CEASE all use of Anthropic’s technology. We don’t need it, we don’t want it, and will not do business with them again," he continued.
Anthropic has been in a battle with the Department of War over the use of its AI tools, since reports those tools were used to in the operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The AI company, which has a $200 million contract with the government, has been trying to renegotiate a contract with the Pentagon that prevents its AI tools from being used for making autonomous weapons and mass surveillance of Americans.
"The contract language we received from the Department of War made virtually no progress on preventing Claude's use for mass surveillance of Americans or in fully autonomous weapons," Anthropic told ABC News. New language framed as compromise was paired with legalese that would allow those safeguards to be disregarded at will. Despite DOW's recent public statements, these narrow safeguards have been the crux of our negotiations for months."
President Trump said that it will about six months to phase out the use Anthropic's AI across the government and threatened potential criminal and civil consequences if the company does not help wind down the use of its AI tools.
"There will be a Six Month phase out period for Agencies like the Department of War who are using Anthropic’s products, at various levels. Anthropic better get their act together, and be helpful during this phase out period, or I will use the Full Power of the Presidency to make them comply, with major civil and criminal consequences to follow," Trump said.