Trump orders federal agencies to stop using Anthropic AI tools

US President Donald Trump on Friday ordered all federal agencies to immediately stop using Anthropic AI tools, escalating a dispute between the Pentagon and the artificial intelligence company over military applications.

Trump announced a six-month phase-out period and directed agencies to cease work with the AI startup.

Why Trump administration banned Anthropic AI?

Taking to Truth Social, Trump criticised the company and claimed that the company was attempting to pressure the Department of Defence. Subsequently, the Department of Defence and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that Anthropic would be a supply chain risk. This means the US military and its contractors are barred from working with the company.

The Pentagon had pushed to revise its contract to allow all lawful use of artificial intelligence. Anthropic objected, warning the change could permit fully autonomous lethal weapons or mass surveillance. Anthropic AI has denied interfering with military operations and said it supports responsible defence use.

Anthropic signed a 200 million dollar deal with the Pentagon last year. It developed specialised models known as Claude Gov for classified systems. The tools are used for report writing, intelligence analysis and military planning.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has repeatedly stressed AI safety. “These weapons also have legitimate uses in the defence of democracy,” Amodei wrote. “But they are a dangerous weapon to wield.”

People in comments on Trump's recent remarks for Anthropic say that the dispute over AI policy is more political than practical.