Pentagon vs. Anthropic: AI Ethics & "God-complex" Claim

A top Pentagon official says Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei "has a God-complex" amidst a dispute over AI model usage terms. Emil Michael, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, made the accusation on social platform X. Michael claims Amodei wants to control the U.S. Military and puts national safety at risk. The Pentagon and Anthropic are in disagreement over the company's AI usage policy. Anthropic's policy bars its models from use in mass surveillance or lethal autonomous weapons. These are red lines for the AI firm. The DOD wants terms that allow for "all lawful uses." They state they have "no interest" in mass surveillance or autonomous weapons development. The department threatened to cancel Anthropic's contract if it did not agree to the terms. They also threatened to label the company a "supply chain risk." Anthropic was one of four major AI companies to sign a contract with the DOD last summer. Its AI model Claude was previously the only one approved for classified use. Amodei released a statement, saying Anthropic "cannot in good conscience accede" to the Pentagon's terms. He states that while the Department of War makes military decisions, some AI uses can undermine democratic values. This dispute highlights the tension between tech companies and government over AI ethics and control.