By Steven Levy
Publication Date: 2026-02-20 17:00:00
When Anthropic last year became the first major AI company to receive approval from the U.S. government for secret use — including military applications — but the news didn’t make much of a splash. But this week, a second development hit like a cannonball: The Pentagon is reconsidering its relationship with the company, including a $200 million contract, reportedly because the security-conscious AI company refuses to participate in certain deadly operations. The so-called War Department could even designate Anthropic as a “supply chain risk,” a scarlet letter typically reserved for companies that do business with countries monitored by federal agencies, such as China, meaning the Pentagon would not do business with companies that use Anthropic’s AI in their defense work. In a statement to WIRED, Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed that Anthropic was in the hot seat. “Our nation demands that our partners be prepared to help our fighters win in every battle. Ultimately, this is about…
