Trump orders federal agencies to halt Anthropic use amid dispute over military AI terms

Tech

Trump orders federal agencies to halt Anthropic use amid dispute over military AI terms

The White House announced today it will halt all federal use of Anthropic technology, triggering a six-month transition period across government agencies.

President Donald Trump directed the phase-out in a Truth Social post, accusing the AI developer of attempting to override military authority by enforcing internal usage restrictions. Trump characterized the move as a defense of executive power, asserting that private firms cannot dictate how armed forces operate.

The directive follows stalled negotiations between Anthropic and the Pentagon over the military use of its Claude model. A Friday 5:01 p.m. deadline had been set for the company to accept revised contract terms that defense officials described as their final offer.

Anthropic said there had been “virtually no progress,” arguing the proposed language failed to prevent use of its systems for mass surveillance or fully autonomous weapons.

Trump said decisions about military operations belong to the commander in chief, not private technology firms, and warned of potential civil and criminal consequences if the company does not cooperate during the phase-out period.