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Pentagon, Anthropic Reportedly Stall on $200M AI Deal Over Weapons Use

Pentagon, Anthropic Reportedly Stall on $200M AI Deal Over Weapons Use
Above: Anthropic's Claude AI logo on a phone screen. Image credit: Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

In an era when AI will reshape geopolitics and determine military power, the government argues America cannot afford hesitation. The War Department's AI Acceleration Strategy calls for rapid experimentation with leading models to secure dominance. If American companies withdraw over ethical fears, foreign adversaries will surge ahead, leaving the U.S. vulnerable in an AI-driven world.

Techno-optimist narrative

Anthropic's stance shows it can support America's defense without abandoning ethics. As Dario Amodei has clearly stated, powerful AI is still "adolescent" and must be guided responsibly, not recklessly deployed. The U.S. government should be excited to align itself with Anthropic and its constitution, which reflects a commitment to national security that respects human rights, resisting paths toward autonomous killing or surveillance overreach.

Techno-skeptic narrative

The military's push to integrate AI into warfare treats these systems as instruments of dominance rather than tools whose failures can cost lives, destabilize conflicts and erode trust. At the same time, Anthropic's "constitutional" approach assumes private companies can define ethical boundaries through internal rulebooks, even though these frameworks lack democratic legitimacy and are shaped by corporate interests.

Metaculus Prediction



The Controversies



Go Deeper


Establishment split

CRITICAL

PRO



© 2026 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 6.18.0

© 2026 Improve the News Foundation.

All rights reserved.

Version 6.18.0