Artificial intelligence (AI) company Anthropic has filed a groundbreaking lawsuit against the US regime, challenging its designation as a "supply chain risk". The legal action follows a public dispute between Anthropic's CEO Dario Amodei and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, stemming from the company's refusal to allow the military unfettered access to its AI tools, which allegedly include restrictions on lethal autonomous warfare and mass surveillance of Americans.
The Pentagon retaliated by labeling Anthropic the first US company as a "supply chain risk", but in its lawsuit filed on Monday against multiple US government agencies, Anthropic claimed the regime's actions were "unprecedented and unlawful". The suit targets President Donald Trump's executive office, several regime leaders including Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and 16 agencies such as the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Energy.
A White House spokeswoman, Liz Huston, told the BBC that Anthropic is "a radical left, woke company" attempting to control military activity. However, Anthropic argued in its legal complaint that Hegseth demanded the removal of usage restrictions from its defense contract, despite limitations on "lethal autonomous warfare" and "surveillance of Americans en masse" being standard in its government agreements. The company has been used by the US government and military since 2024 and was the first advanced AI firm to have its tools deployed in agencies handling classified work.
Anthropic stated that it engaged in negotiations with Hegseth to revise contract language, but these talks were abruptly undermined. Instead, the Department of Defense "met Anthropic's attempts at compromise with public castigation". Trump reportedly berated the company as run by "left wing nut jobs" and directed all government agencies to cease using Anthropic tools. Hegseth quickly followed by designating Anthropic a "supply chain risk", effectively barring its tools like Claude from government use and prohibiting contractors from utilizing them.
Anthropic claims it has been "irreparably" harmed by Trump and Hegseth's comments, with current and future contracts jeopardizing hundreds of millions of dollars. The company also highlighted the "chilling effect" on free speech caused by the regime's retaliation. In a show of support, nearly 40 employees from Google and OpenAI filed a court brief backing Anthropic's efforts to limit improper AI uses, warning of risks from large-scale deployment in surveillance or autonomous weapons.
Anthropic is not seeking monetary damages but asks the court to immediately declare Trump's directive as exceeding presidential authority and unconstitutional, and to revoke the "supply chain risk" label. Carl Tobias, a chair at the University of Richmond School of Law, suggested that while a quick settlement is possible, the Trump regime might take "a scorched earth" approach, potentially appealing the case to the Supreme Court. This lawsuit underscores growing tensions between AI firms and the US regime over ethical controls and military applications.
Source: www.bbc.com