Anthropic Faces Deadline Over Pentagon Contract and Ethical Concerns as Pete Hegseth Threatens to Take AI Firm’s Tech
Australian Financial Review
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Details
- Date Published
- 25 Feb 2026
- Priority Score
- 3
- Australian
- No
- Created
- 25 Feb 2026, 12:45 am
Description
Anthropic has reservations about how its technology will be used. But Pete Hegseth has given the firm until Friday to agree to the US Defence Department’s terms.
Summary
The article highlights a tense negotiation between the AI firm Anthropic and the US Defense Department, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has threatened to use wartime powers to acquire Anthropic’s AI technology unless they agree to make it available for military use. This scenario underscores significant ethical concerns regarding the deployment of advanced AI in military contexts, reflecting broader existential risks associated with AI technologies. The situation also raises important questions about national security priorities versus ethical uses of AI, contributing to global discussions on AI governance and safety policies. Although this is a US-specific issue, the implications resonate globally, including for Australian stakeholders in AI safety policy.
Body
WorldNorth AmericaAIPrint articleMatt O’Brien, Konstantin Toropin and David KlepperUpdated Feb 25, 2026 – 10.44am, first published at 10.07amWashington | US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has threatened to invoke wartime powers against Anthropic that would allow the government to force the AI firm to hand over its novel technology in the name of national security, people familiar with the ongoing discussions said.Hegseth gave Anthropic’s chief executive a Friday deadline to open the company’s artificial intelligence technology for unrestricted military use or risk losing its lucrative government contract, during tense talks on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT).Loading...APSaveLog in or Subscribe to save articleShareCopy linkCopiedEmailLinkedInTwitterFacebookCopy linkCopiedShare via...Gift this articleSubscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? LoginFollow the topics, people and companies that matter to you.Find out moreRead MoreAIAnthropicSpaceXElon MuskOpenAIGoogleJoe BidenTwitterTrump's White HouseNvidiaChinaDefenceUS politicsFetching latest articles