Anthropic Sues Trump Administration Over Pentagon Blacklisting of Its AI Technology
Anthropic Sues Trump Administration Over Pentagon Blacklisting of Its AI Technology
Publish Date: 2026-03-10 14:03:00
Source Domain: www.lawcommentary.com
Artificial intelligence company Anthropic filed two federal lawsuits Monday challenging the Trump administration’s decision to label the company a national security “supply chain risk” and cut off use of its technology across the federal government. The company argues that the action was unlawful retaliation for its refusal to remove safeguards preventing its AI systems from being used for autonomous weapons or domestic surveillance.
The San Francisco-based company filed one lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and a second case in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The lawsuits ask the courts to overturn the Pentagon’s designation and block federal agencies from enforcing the restrictions. Anthropic claims the action threatens billions of dollars in revenue and could damage its reputation with customers and partners, according to court filings.
The dispute follows months of negotiations between Anthropic and the Defense Department over how the military could use the company’s flagship artificial intelligence system, Claude. According to the complaint, Anthropic insisted the technology should not be used to operate fully autonomous weapons systems capable of selecting and attacking targets without direct human control.
The company also objected to using the technology for domestic surveillance in the United States. Defense officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, insisted the system must remain available for all lawful military uses.
After negotiations collapsed, the Pentagon formally designated Anthropic a “supply chain risk to national security.” The designation bars the company from working with the Defense Department and its contractors.
President Donald Trump also stated that federal agencies should stop using the company’s technology across government networks. Anthropic filed challenges in two courts because the Pentagon relied on separate legal…
