Statement from Dario Amodei on our discussions with the Department of War

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has issued a statement addressing negotiations and tensions between the company and the Department of War concerning national security applications of artificial intelligence. Amodei emphasized Anthropic's commitment to supporting the United States and democratic allies, noting that Claude has been extensively deployed across classified networks, National Laboratories, and national security agencies for tasks like intelligence analysis, simulation, and operational planning. Furthermore, Anthropic stated it has forfeited hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue by cutting off Chinese Communist Party-linked firms, blocking CCP-sponsored cyberattacks, and advocating for chip export controls. However, a conflict has arisen because the Department of War insists on contracting only with companies that agree to any lawful use and remove specific safeguards in two narrow cases where Anthropic believes AI could undermine democratic values or exceed safe technological capabilities. According to Amodei, the Department has threatened to remove Anthropic from its systems, designate the American company as a supply chain risk, and invoke the Defense Production Act to force the removal of these safeguards. Amodei called these threats contradictory, arguing that one labels the company a security risk while the other deems Claude essential to national security. Despite the threats, Anthropic maintains its position and refuses to remove the safeguards, though it hopes the Department will reconsider. If the Department chooses to offboard Anthropic, the company pledged to assist with a smooth transition to avoid disrupting ongoing operations. Additionally, Anthropic announced it is providing METR with employee-like access to evaluate system safety, strengthening its election safeguards for US midterms, and opening a new office in Singapore following an MOU with the Singaporean government.