Plus: Berkshire CEO emphasizes continuity in first letter to shareholders; Houston Chronicle focuses on creator collabs.
Anthropic has responded after the Trump administration ordered federal agencies to stop using its AI technology and declared it a “supply chain risk” following a dispute over how AI should be used by the military.
Anthropic, the maker of the AI chatbot Claude, had pushed back when the Pentagon requested unrestricted access to its technology. Company leaders said they were uncomfortable with certain potential uses of their software that eliminated human oversight, including mass surveillance and fully autonomous weapons.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said in a statement that the company “cannot in good conscience accede” to the government’s requests, CNBC reports.
Soon after, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth called the company’s refusal a “cowardly act of corporate virtue-signaling” in a post on X.
He said: “I am directing the Department of War to designate Anthropic a Supply-Chain Risk to National Security. Effective immediately, no contractor, supplier, or partner that does business with the United States military may conduct any commercial activity with Anthropic.”
On Truth Social, President Donald Trump said the Department of War would phase out all Anthropic products over six months.
Amodei, in response, shared a blog post on the decision.
“We have tried in good faith to reach an agreement with the Department of War, making clear that we support all lawful uses of AI for national security…Designating Anthropic as a supply chain risk would be an unprecedented action—one historically reserved for US adversaries, never before publicly applied to an American company. We are deeply saddened by these developments.”
The company went on to explain how current customers may be affected by the decision with a link to support teams for any questions.
“Above all else, our priorities are to protect our customers from any disruption caused by these extraordinary events,” the statement said.
Why it matters: Despite a public berating, Anthropic’s response kept the focus on its values and principles, backed its position with specific reasons and tried to protect its reputation with customers and stakeholders.
Rather than reacting emotionally to the criticism, the company reaffirmed its commitment to using AI responsibly in clear, plain language. This helps build credibility and trust with stakeholders at a time when AI governance is under scrutiny.
The company also clarified what could change and what wouldn’t change for customers, which helps reduce panic or uncertainty.
Instead of trying to “win” the argument, given the sensitive political climate, the company focused on being understood, which helped steady the story and protect trust.
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Courtney Blackann is a communications reporter. Connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at courtneyb@ragan.com.
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