US Court Temporarily Halts Pentagon Blacklisting of AI Company Anthropic

A US federal judge has temporarily blocked the Pentagon from blacklisting Anthropic, the AI company behind Claude, amid concerns over the military use of AI technology. Anthropic filed a lawsuit in California claiming that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth overstepped his authority by labeling the company a national security supply-chain risk. The company argued that the Pentagon’s action violated its First Amendment rights by retaliating against its public views on AI safety and its Fifth Amendment rights by not giving it a chance to contest the designation. Judge Rita Lin ruled that the government’s move appeared more punitive than protective of national security, describing it as retaliation for Anthropic’s public criticism of military contracting practices. The designation had prevented Anthropic from participating in certain military contracts, potentially costing the company billions in business and affecting its reputation. Anthropic has maintained that its AI models are not safe for autonomous weapons or domestic surveillance. The Pentagon, however, asserts that private companies should not restrict military operations. This is the first time a US company has been publicly labeled a supply-chain risk under this specific statute, and Anthropic has a second similar lawsuit pending in Washington, DC, concerning civilian government contracts.