By Will McCurdy
Publication Date: 2026-04-26 14:26:00
A prominent AI researcher, formerly an employee of OpenAI and Anthropic, was reportedly “ousted” from his position at the Commerce Department just days into his new job.
Collin Burns started working at the agency’s Center for AI Standards and Innovation last week. However, as The Washington Post He was reportedly fired on Thursday after the White House discovered he had previously worked for Anthropic, which is currently in a legal battle with the Pentagon over access to its tools.
In February, President Trump called Anthropic a “left-wing lunatic” after the company refused to lift protections for its AI for use in surveillance and autonomous weapons. The Pentagon then described Anthropic as a “supply chain risk.”
One of the postAccording to the sources, several senior White House figures claimed they were not informed of the appointment before Burns left Anthropic and moved to D.C. for the job.
The AI Safety Institute was founded in November 2023 by the Biden…
