OpenAI and Google Workers File Amicus Brief in Support of Anthropic Against the US Government

In a rare show of industry solidarity, more than 90 current and former AI researchers and engineers from leading firms have united to file a legal brief in support of Anthropic. The company is suing the US government, specifically the Department of Commerce, over new AI safety regulations enacted under the Defense Production Act. The signatories, hailing from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Microsoft, and other labs, argue they are acting as individuals concerned about the precedent, not as corporate representatives.

The core legal argument in the 45-page amicus brief contends that the government's emergency powers under the Defense Production Act are being misapplied. The new rules require AI companies developing models above a certain compute threshold to report extensive safety test results and other proprietary information to the government. The workers assert this constitutes an unlawful seizure of intellectual property and creates a chilling effect on open research and development, potentially pushing innovation overseas or underground.

This collective action signals a significant shift where AI technical staff are engaging directly on policy, separate from their employers' official stances. The brief emphasizes that the signatories' expertise gives them unique insight into the potential harms of the regulations. The case, Anthropic v. Raimondo, is being closely watched as a bellwether for how much oversight the US government can exert over the rapidly advancing AI sector.