The Pentagon demands Anthropic grant military access to its AI by Friday or lose its contract, risking a Cold War-era law override.

Pentagon officials are considering using the Defense Production Act, which was enacted during the Cold War, to force cooperation from the AI company Anthropic, which has been ordered to provide unfettered military access to its technology by Friday or risk losing its government contract. The action, intended to increase U.S. Access to cutting-edge AI by the military could be the first time that the law has been used to override a tech company's ethical protections. Experts caution that the action would be unprecedented and could result in legal challenges, despite the Pentagon's denial of interest in autonomous weapons or mass surveillance. The impasse demonstrates the growing conflict between ethical restrictions on AI development and national security requirements.