OpenAI's Pentagon Deal Under Fire
OpenAI's recent Pentagon deal is facing heavy scrutiny. CEO Sam Altman himself called the rushed execution "opportunistic and sloppy," while a separate report claims the company "caved" to government pressure. Meanwhile, tech workers are urging the DoD to reverse its blacklisting of rival AI firm Anthropic, which was deemed a "supply-chain risk."
The standoff began when the Pentagon demanded Anthropic allow its AI model, Claude, to be used "for all lawful purposes," which would override the company's own acceptable use policy. Anthropic's policy explicitly prohibited using its AI for mass domestic surveillance or in fully autonomous weapons systems that can operate without human intervention. After weeks of failed negotiations, the Pentagon set a deadline of 5:01 p.m. on Friday, February 27, 2026, for Anthropic to agree to its terms. When the company refused, President Donald Trump ordered all federal agencies to stop using Anthropic's technology, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth labeled the firm a "supply chain risk"—a designation historically used for foreign adversaries. Hours after Anthropic was blacklisted, OpenAI announced its own agreement to deploy AI models on classified military networks. The timing of the deal, which occurred just a day before the US initiated military strikes against Iran, drew immediate criticism and prompted a user backlash that included calls to boycott OpenAI's products. In response to the public outcry, OpenAI amended its contract to explicitly ban its AI from being used for the intentional domestic surveillance of U.S. citizens, including through the use of commercially acquired personal data. The updated agreement also specifies that intelligence agencies like the NSA are prohibited from using OpenAI's services without a future modification to the contract. OpenAI asserts its deal has stronger safeguards than Anthropic's original contract because its models will be deployed only via the cloud, not on edge devices where they could potentially be used for autonomous weapons. The company also states that cleared OpenAI personnel will remain "in the loop" on the technology's use. The controversy has mobilized hundreds of tech workers from both Google and OpenAI, who signed an open letter urging their employers to stand with Anthropic. The letter called on corporate leaders to resist government demands for AI use in mass surveillance and autonomous killing.
