‘Find a way to work together’ — Sam Altman’s message to the Department of Defense and Anthropic

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has intervened in a high-stakes standoff between AI company Anthropic and the U.S. government, urging both parties to de-escalate tensions and collaborate. The conflict ignited when negotiations between Anthropic and the Pentagon broke down over the company's refusal to remove ethical safeguards from its Claude AI model that prevent its use in fully autonomous weapons or mass surveillance. In response, the federal government issued an executive directive banning agencies from using Anthropic's technology and labeled the company a 'supply chain risk,' leading to lawsuits and a temporary court block on the Pentagon's actions.

Altman, in an interview, argued that the AI industry cannot simultaneously hype the technology's immense geopolitical and national security importance while denying governments a role in its control. 'I think it's very important that the governments are more powerful,' Altman stated, emphasizing that decisions about national security should be made through democratic processes. His position contrasts with some industry leaders who are more suspicious of government oversight, though he acknowledged a widespread 'mood of mistrust' he had previously miscalibrated. Altman's core message is a plea for pragmatic cooperation: 'Find a way to work together. like stop, stop the stuff on both, stop the escalation on both sides.'