Technology

Trump bans Anthropic AI from federal agencies after firm refuses to unlock capabilities — Anthropic cites risks of autonomous military applications, mass domestic surveillance

Source

Tom's Hardware

Published

Feb 27, 2026

TL;DR

AI Generated

President Trump has banned Anthropic AI technology from all U.S. federal agencies after the company refused to unlock its capabilities for the Pentagon. Anthropic had concerns about the risks associated with autonomous military applications and mass domestic surveillance. The dispute arose from a contract Anthropic signed with the Pentagon, where the company sought guarantees on the use of its AI models. Trump accused Anthropic of endangering American lives and gave agencies a six-month phase-out period to find replacements. Elon Musk's Grok is potentially lined up as a replacement, while OpenAI CEO Sam Altman supports Anthropic's stance on ethical red lines for autonomous weapons.

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