Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has called the head of artificial intelligence company Anthropic to meet at the Pentagon on Tuesday for what sources describe as potentially challenging discussions regarding military applications of the firm’s Claude AI system, according to a report from Axios on Monday.
Earlier this month, Reuters exclusively revealed that Pentagon officials were pressuring major AI companies, including OpenAI and Anthropic, to allow their artificial intelligence systems to operate on classified military networks while removing many typical user limitations these companies normally enforce.
Axios previously reported this month that Pentagon leaders were contemplating severing their relationship with Anthropic due to the company’s refusal to eliminate restrictions governing how U.S. military forces can utilize their AI models, including the Claude system.
The Monday report indicates that Defense Department officials believe their negotiations with Anthropic are approaching a breakdown.
A high-ranking Defense official informed the publication that Anthropic understands this meeting is not a “get-to-know-you meeting,” the report stated.
An Anthropic representative responded by saying “we are having productive conversations, in good faith,” as quoted by Axios.
Reuters has not been able to independently confirm these details. The Pentagon, White House, and Anthropic have not yet provided responses to Reuters’ requests for statements.
