A top Pentagon official has expressed little hope for reviving negotiations with Anthropic PBC over the military's use of its AI tools.
Under Secretary of Defense Emil Michael stated that Anthropic's lawsuit against the government's supply-chain declaration was an 'expected reaction' and would not alter the Pentagon's decision.
Michael's comments came after Anthropic sued to block the Pentagon and other agencies from declaring the firm a threat to the US supply chain and barring it from government contracts.
The Pentagon's decision puts at risk a $200 million contract for Anthropic to provide the Pentagon with classified AI tools and could preclude the firm from partnering with other companies on their military work.
Anthropic has expressed concern that the government's actions have already impacted its work with other federal contractors, with some vendors considering terminating contracts.
Michael reiterated a key Pentagon complaint that Anthropic's public positions indicated a desire for input on the chain of command and operational control, which the company has rejected.
