Not quite sure what Whiskey Barrel Pete is up to here. According to the Washington Post, he has threatened Anthropic, demanding the artificial intelligence firm share its novel technology in the name of national security if it does not agree by Friday to terms favorable to the military.
Anthropic is prepared to walk away from the negotiations — and its $200 million contract with the Defense Department — if concerns over the use of its technology for autonomous weapons or mass surveillance are not addressed, the Post reports.
The Pentagon claims it is not proposing any use of Anthropic’s technology that is not lawful. (Because the Epstein administration is so honest about everything else, I suppose we should believe them?) In a statement to The Washington Post that if the company does not comply by 5:01 p.m. Friday, Hegseth “will ensure the Defense Production Act is invoked on Anthropic, compelling them to be used by the Pentagon regardless of if they want to or not.”
(Experts on the DPA questioned whether it could be used to force Anthropic to drop the limitations it imposes on how its technology can be used.)
Anthropic is the first firm to integrate its technology into the Pentagon’s classified networks, and the firm has aggressively positioned itself to be a key player in national security. Well, as the nuns always said, "Lie down with dogs, rise up with fleas."
Dario Amodei, the company’s CEO, held firm that its AI model Claude should not be used to power autonomous weapons or conduct mass surveillance of Americans, the Post sources said.
Apparently Anthropic’s AI was applied during the raid to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in ways the company had not approved. Defense "officials" say if Anthropic does not allow the Pentagon to apply the AI as it wants to, within lawful limits, the company would be considered a supply-chain risk, blocking them from future contracts.
