A United States federal judge has ruled in favor of the artificial intelligence company Anthropic in its dispute with the Pentagon over its designation as a 'supply chain risk.' California district judge Rita Lin concluded that the label was an attempt by the government to make an example of Anthropic after the company refused to allow unrestricted military use of its technology and criticized the Department of Defense's use of AI.

Lin wrote in a 59-page ruling that 'the empty invocation of national security is not a blank check to punish and retaliate against government critics.' She said the government's actions were 'based on a desire to make a public example out of Anthropic for its 'arrogance' in criticizing the government, not based on any articulable basis to believe that Anthropic would actually sabotage its model.'

The dispute erupted in February when President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth accused Anthropic of endangering national security after the company declined to allow unrestricted military use of its technology. CEO Dario Amodei wrote in a blog post that 'we will not knowingly provide a product that puts America's warfighters and civilians at risk,' adding that AI wasn't reliable enough for fully autonomous weapons systems and expressing concerns over mass surveillance.

In March, the Pentagon designated Anthropic a 'supply chain risk' – a highly unusual label for a US firm. The company complained of an 'unlawful campaign of retaliation,' noting the designation would hurt its business beyond defense deals. Trump ordered all federal agencies to stop using Anthropic technology, calling it 'a radical left, woke company' in a social media rant.

Judge Lin, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, had earlier temporarily blocked the Pentagon's label and enforcement of Trump's directive. In a preliminary hearing, she called the government's position 'really troubling' and 'at odds with the First Amendment.'

The White House has yet to comment. In the coming weeks, Anthropic is expected to launch an IPO on the US stock market that could potentially eclipse SpaceX's record Wall Street debut in June, which raised $86 billion.

Source: www.dw.com