The US government, under orders from Donald Trump, has canceled all contracts with AI giant Anthropic. This move was described by German Social Democratic Party (SPD) politician Matthias Mieves as a "once-in-a-lifetime chance" for Europe. Mieves wrote a letter to Chancellor Friedrich Merz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, urging them to offer to bring Anthropic to Europe, citing the company's refusal to comply with US government demands.
Anthropic, valued at $380 billion and developer of the Claude large language models, has partnered with the US military and government since late 2024. US media reports claim Claude was used in the raid on Venezuela and the bombing of Iran, though specifics remain unclear. In late February, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth demanded Anthropic remove clauses prohibiting the use of Claude for mass surveillance and fully autonomous weapons.
When Anthropic co-founder and CEO Dario Amodei refused, Hegseth designated the company a "supply chain risk"—a label never before applied to a US firm—and Trump ordered all government agencies to stop using Anthropic's services. The company has filed a legal challenge, arguing the blacklisting could cost billions and damage its reputation.
Mieves's proposal includes attracting Anthropic to Europe to develop its "human-centered, trustworthy AI" models with financial and administrative support. However, experts like Daniel Abbou, head of Germany's AI industry association BVKI, are skeptical about feasibility. Abbou noted Anthropic's major investors are Amazon and Google, and it is deeply embedded in US cloud infrastructure and capital markets, making a move potentially risky for its contracts and liquidity.
The European Union is rolling out its Artificial Intelligence Act as part of the Apply AI Strategy, but some companies urge delays, fearing it may stifle innovation and hinder the EU's purported goal of becoming an "AI continent." French company Mistral CEO Arthur Mensch emphasized the need to protect European industry from US and Chinese AI firms, but Mieves criticized politicians for "waffling on" about digital sovereignty without concrete plans.
Source: www.dw.com