Anthropic faces U.S. halt as DoD plans six-month exit

Key Takeaways:

• Trump orders federal agencies stop using Anthropic AI immediately; DoD gets six months.
• Directive covers all civilian agencies and explicitly includes the Defense Department.
• Move reshapes federal AI procurement, pressuring agencies to replace Anthropic-powered tools.

President Donald Trump directed all U.S. federal agencies to cease using Anthropic’s AI technology, with an immediate halt across government and a six‑month phase‑out window for the Defense Department, as reported by Devdiscourse (https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/technology/3820598-trump-orders-immediate-halt-on-anthropics-tech-in-federal-agencies).

The order covers every civilian agency and explicitly includes the U.S. Department of Defense, which is permitted a limited transition period to unwind systems that rely on Anthropic’s models. Other agencies are expected to stop usage promptly under the directive.

The move matters because it reshapes federal AI procurement and could set a precedent for how ethical guardrails from private vendors intersect with national security requirements. Agencies may now need replacements for tools previously powered by Anthropic’s Claude.

The Pentagon’s dispute with Anthropic centers on a demand to use the company’s model for “all lawful purposes,” alongside a threat to invoke the Defense Production Act if restrictions remain, as reported by the Washington Post (https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/02/26/anthropic-pentagon-rejects-demand-claude/). The contested uses include mass surveillance and the development or operation of autonomous weapons.

Anthropic has drawn red lines against enabling mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons, arguing these conditions exceed what it considers acceptable or sufficiently safeguarded. The company frames the limits as contractual guardrails tied to its safety standards.

“[We] cannot in good conscience accede,” said Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, explaining the firm’s refusal to permit mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons, as reported by the Times Union (https://www.timesunion.com/news/politics/article/us-military-would-only-use-anthropic-s-ai-21943545.php).

Some lawmakers have criticized the Defense Department’s pressure campaign. Senators Edward Markey and Chris Van Hollen contended that threatening a DPA action is an abuse of power and urged respect for guardrails designed to protect civil liberties, according to a statement from Markey’s office (https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senators-markey-and-van-hollen-demand-hegseth-stop-pressure-campaign-against-anthropic-for-refusing-to-enable-mass-surveillance-and-autonomous-warfare).

Public sentiment appears sensitive to these boundaries. A survey by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation found 67% of Americans support allowing tech companies to set AI usage limits even when facing government pressure (https://itif.org/publications/2026/02/26/most-americans-say-tech-companies-should-be-allowed-to-set-ai-limits/).

At the time of this writing, broader AI-market context remained fluid; Amazon.com (AMZN) shares were around 208.51, up 0.28%, based on data from Yahoo Scout, noting the feed was subject to temporary delays.

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