Altman Calls Pentagon Deal 'Sloppy'
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman publicly described the company's recent Pentagon deal as looking "opportunistic and sloppy." His comments come as tech workers petition the government to reverse its blacklisting of rival Anthropic, a move that directly led to OpenAI securing the contract. Reports suggest OpenAI caved to Pentagon demands for expanded AI surveillance capabilities.
The controversy began when rival AI company Anthropic refused to eliminate safeguards that prevent its model, Claude, from being used for mass domestic surveillance or to operate fully autonomous weapons without human involvement. This refusal was a direct rejection of the Pentagon's demand for the ability to use the AI for "all lawful purposes" without company-imposed restrictions. In response, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth designated Anthropic a "supply chain risk," a label typically reserved for foreign adversaries, and then-President Donald Trump ordered all federal agencies to cease using the company's technology. This move effectively blacklisted Anthropic from government work, creating an opening that OpenAI quickly filled. Initially, OpenAI's agreement accepted the Pentagon's broad "all lawful purposes" framework, leading to internal and public backlash. Following the criticism, OpenAI amended the contract to explicitly forbid the use of its technology for domestic surveillance of U.S. persons, including via commercially acquired data, and restricted access for intelligence agencies like the NSA. The tech worker petition, signed by employees from multiple major tech companies, urges the government to reverse the "supply chain risk" designation against Anthropic. The letter argues that such disputes should be handled privately and reflects a growing unease in Silicon Valley over the increasing pressure to align AI development with military demands.
