The Story
What happened when the Pentagon came knocking.
DOD Demands Removal of All AI Safeguards
The Department of Defense pressured Anthropic to strip Claude of every guardrail — specifically those preventing mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons systems.
Pentagon Threatens the Defense Production Act
When Anthropic pushed back, the DOD escalated — threatening to invoke the Defense Production Act to compel compliance. A Cold War-era law weaponized against an AI company.
Dario Says NO to Mass Surveillance
"We will not build tools designed for warrantless mass surveillance of American citizens." Dario Amodei drew the line.
"Some lines should never be crossed, regardless of who is asking."
Dario Says NO to Autonomous Weapons
"AI systems making life-or-death decisions without human oversight is a line we refuse to cross." The second refusal that shook Washington.
Offers R&D Collaboration — Pentagon Declines
Anthropic offered to collaborate on defensive R&D, cybersecurity, and threat analysis — with safeguards intact. The Pentagon wanted everything or nothing. They chose nothing.
"We remain eager to support national security within ethical boundaries."