Trump Moves to Ban Anthropic from Federal Use

US President Donald Trump has ordered all federal agencies to stop using technology from AI company Anthropic, escalating a dispute over how its tools can be used by the military.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the government would immediately end business with the company. “We don’t need it, we don’t want it, and will not do business with them again,” he wrote. He added that Anthropic’s tools would be phased out of government operations over the next six months.

The conflict centers on Anthropic’s refusal to grant the US military unrestricted access to its AI systems, including its Claude chatbot. The company has raised concerns about potential use cases involving mass surveillance and fully autonomous weapons. It has resisted agreeing to what the Pentagon described as “any lawful use” of its technology.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth responded by declaring Anthropic a “supply chain risk,” a designation that would bar military contractors from engaging in commercial activity with the company. If formally applied, it would mark the first time a US firm has publicly received such a label.

Anthropic said it has not received formal notice from the White House or the Department of Defense regarding the designation. The company said it would challenge any supply chain risk label in court, calling it legally unsound and warning it could set a troubling precedent for private firms negotiating with the government.

The standoff follows days of public and private exchanges between Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and Pentagon officials. While Anthropic has said it would work to enable a smooth transition if the Department of Defense chose another provider, Trump warned the company to cooperate during the phase-out or face potential civil and criminal consequences.

Anthropic has supplied AI tools to US government agencies since 2024 and was among the first advanced AI firms to support classified government work. The dispute highlights growing tensions between AI developers and federal authorities over military applications of artificial intelligence.