Statement from Dario Amodei on our discussions with the Department of War

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has published a detailed statement outlining the company's deep, proactive integration with US national security agencies, while simultaneously drawing firm ethical and technical boundaries. The statement reveals that Anthropic was the first frontier AI company to deploy models on classified government networks and at National Labs, with Claude now used for mission-critical applications like intelligence analysis, operational planning, and cyber operations. However, Amodei asserts that Anthropic has refused to allow its technology to be used for two specific purposes: mass domestic surveillance, which it argues is incompatible with democratic values, and fully autonomous weapons, which it deems today's frontier AI systems are not reliable enough to power safely.

The standoff has escalated, with the Department of War threatening to remove Anthropic from its systems if the company does not accede to 'any lawful use' and remove these safeguards. The DoW has also threatened to designate Anthropic a 'supply chain risk'—a label typically reserved for foreign adversaries—and to invoke the Defense Production Act to force compliance. Amodei frames the company's position as a defense of democratic principles and responsible technology deployment, noting they have already forgone 'several hundred million dollars' in revenue by cutting off Chinese Communist Party-linked firms from using Claude. The statement highlights the growing tension between AI companies' ethical policies and government demands for unrestricted access to powerful technology in the name of national security.