The confrontation between the United States Department of Defense and Anthropic goes beyond contractual disputes — it centers on control over advanced artificial intelligence.

Claude, developed under CEO Dario Amodei, reportedly plays a role in analyzing intelligence data within Pentagon systems.

The Defense Department argues that AI tools supporting military operations cannot be constrained by corporate-imposed ideological limits, especially in high-stakes wartime scenarios.

Anthropic maintains that removing safety guardrails could enable uses that cross ethical boundaries, including autonomous lethal systems.

The outcome of this dispute could determine whether AI companies retain authority over how their systems are deployed — even by the world’s most powerful military.