Artificial intelligence firm OpenAI announced it has reached an agreement with the US Department of War to deploy its AI models on classified networks, while rival Anthropic warned it could be designated a “supply chain risk” after refusing certain military uses of its technology.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman confirmed the deal in a post on X on 28 February, stating that the agreement includes safeguards aligned with the company’s safety principles, including prohibitions on domestic mass surveillance and ensuring human responsibility for the use of force, including autonomous weapons. Altman said the department “agrees with these principles, reflects them in law and policy, and we put them into our agreement.”
OpenAI will implement technical controls to ensure the models operate safely, including deploying field engineers and restricting operations to cloud networks only. Altman called for similar conditions across the AI industry, urging the Department of War to adopt these terms for all companies to reduce legal disputes and promote reasonable agreements. The announcement highlights the growing role of AI in military operations, intelligence analysis, and logistics.
Separately, Anthropic said it may face punitive action after negotiations with the department stalled over two proposed uses of its Claude model. The company stated that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth directed the Department of War to consider designating Anthropic a supply chain risk.
The dispute arose because Anthropic refused to permit mass domestic surveillance of Americans and the use of fully autonomous weapons, citing civil liberties concerns and the unreliability of current AI models for autonomous military applications. The company warned that such a designation would be unprecedented, historically reserved for US adversaries, and pledged to challenge any action legally.
Anthropic also clarified that its services for most customers would remain unaffected, with any restrictions applying solely to Department of War contracts.
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