By William Christou
Publication Date: 2026-02-14 15:53:00
Claude, the AI model developed by Anthropic, was used by the US military during its operation to kidnap Nicolás Maduro from Venezuela, the Wall Street Journal revealed on Saturday, a well-known example of how the US Department of Defense is using artificial intelligence in its operations.
According to the Venezuelan Defense Ministry, the US attack on Venezuela included bombing the capital, Caracas, killing 83 people. Anthropic’s terms of service prohibit the use of Claude for violent purposes, to develop weapons, or to conduct surveillance purposes.
Anthropic was the first known AI developer to be used in a secret US Department of Defense operation. It was unclear how the tool, whose functions range from processing PDFs to controlling autonomous drones, was used.
An Anthropic spokesman declined to comment on whether Claude was used in the operation, but said any use of the AI tool was required to comply with usage guidelines. The US defense…
