Washington: Famous AI company Anthropic has opened a front against the US Defense Ministry i.e. Pentagon. The company has bluntly said that it will not trade its soul for a contract worth ₹1800 crore. Actually, the Pentagon wants Anthropic to remove all the security guardrails from its AI model ‘Cloud’. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had given the company an ultimatum till Friday. He had threatened that if the matter was not agreed to, the company’s contract would be cancelled. Not only this, Anthropic can also be declared a threat to the country’s security (supply chain risk). Despite this, the company’s CEO Dario Amodei is firm on his decision. He has made it clear that Hegseth’s threats cannot change his stand.

Why does the Pentagon want to remove the wall of security from AI?

The real bone of contention between the Pentagon and Anthropic is the way AI is used. The Defense Ministry wants that it should get complete freedom to use AI technology fearlessly. This may also include dangerous tasks like mass surveillance and autonomous weapon systems.

On the other hand, Anthropic says that it will not allow its AI to be used in weapons that kill people. The company believes that making AI a deadly weapon without human control is a big risk for humanity.

Will Pete Hegseth’s threat ruin Anthropic?

• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has warned of putting Anthropic in the ‘supply chain risk’ category. This tag is usually used for companies of enemy countries.
• If this happens, then no other vendor working with the US Army will be able to use Anthropic’s products. This will be a huge financial blow for the company.

Despite this, Dario Amodei said that today’s technology is not reliable enough to be left unattended. He made it clear that the use of AI for domestic surveillance is against his morality.

Anthropic defied the Pentagon. (Photo: Reuters)

How dangerous is the entry of AI in the arms race?

In recent months, the US Army has used AI in many operations. The help of AI was also taken in capturing Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Now the Pentagon wants such drones and systems that can take their own decisions and attack even after losing contact with humans. Anthropic is opposing this ‘killer robot’ theory.

Elon Musk’s company xAI has already joined hands with the Pentagon for a classified system. In such a situation, this opposition of Anthropic has become a big test for the entire tech industry.

Will AI companies bow to government pressure?

Dario Amodei has always been an advocate of AI regulation and security. Pete Hegseth is a supporter of eliminating ‘wokeness’ from the army and aggressive military policy. The clash of ideologies between these two has now taken the form of a big controversy. Anthropic has expressed hope that the Defense Ministry will reconsider its decision.

The company said that they want to help in the security of the country, but with their own terms and security standards. Now it remains to be seen whether the Pentagon turns its threat into reality or there is an agreement on AI security.