Artificial intelligence company Anthropic won temporary legal relief on Thursday in its dispute with the US Pentagon over military uses of its AI models.
A San Francisco judge issued a temporary injunction blocking the Trump administration’s designation of Anthropic as a “supply chain risk to national security.” The order will take effect in seven days, giving the government time to appeal.
Judge Rita Lin said the government could decline to use Anthropic products but appeared to be punishing the company for publicly criticizing the administration, a move she said would violate free speech rights guaranteed by the US Constitution. She added the designation was likely unlawful and arbitrary.
“We’re grateful to the court for moving swiftly, and pleased they agree Anthropic is likely to succeed on the merits,” an Anthropic spokesperson said. “While this case was necessary to protect Anthropic, our customers, and our partners, our focus remains on working productively with the government to ensure all Americans benefit from safe, reliable AI.”
The dispute stems from a disagreement over safety restrictions in Anthropic’s AI model, Claude, which limit its use in war-gaming scenarios. Anthropic refused to allow the Department of Defense to use its technology for mass surveillance of US citizens or in autonomous weapons.
That stance prompted President Donald Trump to label Anthropic a “supply chain risk” and order federal agencies to halt contracts with the firm. The designation also requires defense vendors and contractors to certify they do not use Anthropic’s models in government work.
“We do not believe this action is legally sound, and we see no choice but to challenge it in court,” CEO Dario Amodei had previously said in response to the effective sanction.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth criticized the company for non-cooperation, calling it in a post on X “a master class in arrogance and betrayal” and a “textbook case of how not to do business with the United States Government or the Pentagon.”
Before the dispute, Anthropic had been the only AI firm cleared for confidential military use. After the disagreement, OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, reached an agreement with the Department of Defense.
Edited by: Alex Berry