Anthropic and Pentagon face off in court over ban on company’s AI model

Unwinding the Claude AI tool from US military applications could prove to be a daunting task. Photograph: Koshiro K/ShutterstockView image in fullscreenUnwinding the Claude AI tool from US military applications could prove to be a daunting task. Photograph: Koshiro K/ShutterstockAnthropic and Pentagon face off in court over ban on company’s AI modelAfter Anthropic refused to let its AI to be used in autonomous weapons systems, Trump ordered US agencies to quit using it Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox Anthropic faced against the Department of Defense in a federal court on Tuesday afternoon, as the artificial intelligence company seeks a temporary pause on the government’s decision to bar the US military and any contractors from using its technology. The two sides have been locked in an escalating feud over Anthropic’s refusal to allow its Claude AI chatbot to be used for domestic mass surveillance and fully autonomous lethal weapons. Donald Trump has ordered all US government agencies to stop using Anthropic’s tools, which the company is also contesting.Representatives for the AI firm and the government appeared in a northern California district court, where Judge Rita Lin presided over the hearing for a temporary injunction. The hearing is one of the first steps in Anthropic’s lawsuit against the defense department, which it filed earlier this month after Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, declared the company a supply cha...