Conceptual diagram of AI Photo: VCG

The standoff between the US administration and artificial intelligence (AI) startup Anthropic has sparked widespread discussions within the US tech sector. Chinese experts said that the situation lays bare the chaos in the US’ technology governance as the company suddenly went from labeling others a national security threat to being designated a supply chain risk itself.  

 

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he is directing the government to “immediately cease” using technology from Anthropic, according to US media reports.

 

In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump noted that there would be a six-month phase-out for agencies such as the Defense Department, which “are using Anthropic’s products, at various levels.” If Anthropic does not help with the transition, Trump said, he would use "the Full Power of the Presidency to make them comply, with major civil and criminal consequences to follow," according to Reuters.

 

Soon after the order, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on X that he was ordering the Pentagon to “designate Anthropic a Supply-Chain Risk to National Security” after the AI startup refused to comply with demands about the use of its technology.

 

In response, Anthropic said it will challenge any supply chain risk designation in court, according to a statement.

 

The development follows months of negotiations between the two sides. According to media reports, Anthropic sought assurances that its AI models would not be used for fully autonomous weapons or mass domestic surveillance of Americans. The Pentagon, however, firmly resisted this request, insisting that the US military should be allowed to use the technology for all lawful purposes. The two sides failed to reach an agreement by the Pentagon’s set deadline, leading to the current escalation, according to CNBC.

 

The standoff has also raised concerns within the US over the potential impact on the country’s tech industry and national security decision-making.

 

US Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Mark Warner decried the US president’s directive to halt the use of Anthropic’s technology. In a statement, Warner said it raised “serious concerns about whether national security decisions are being driven by careful analysis or political considerations,” according to POLITICO.

 

In a dramatic twist, late on Friday, rival OpenAI announced its own deal to deploy technology in the Defense Department's classified network. CEO Sam Altman said on X, "Two of our most important safety principles are prohibitions on domestic mass surveillance and human responsibility for the use of force, including for autonomous weapon systems. The [Defense Department] agrees with these principles, reflects them in law and policy, and we put them into our agreement."

 

It’s not immediately clear why the Department of Defense agreed to accommodate OpenAI and not Anthropic, though government officials have for months criticized Anthropic for allegedly being overly concerned with AI safety, according to CNBC.

 

The contrast between Anthropic's confrontation and OpenAI's deal highlights the increasingly complex landscape facing the US tech sector where commercial interests, ethical commitments, and political pressures intersect, Chinese experts said, pointing out that the incident highlights the chaos at the heart of US tech governance.

 

Gao Lingyun, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Saturday that while the US government says it encourages AI development as a foundation for maintaining its technological hegemony, it resorts to wielding the "national security" stick to suppress its own firms it cannot fully control.

 

"This shows that the so-called 'national security' has become a political tool aimed at making enterprises serve its own interests," Gao said, adding that when "national security" can be arbitrarily defined, it has lost any moral authority.

 

Notably, this standoff comes at a time when some in Washington and the US tech sector slandered Chinese AI development as a threat. Anthropic said in September last year that it would bar Chinese-controlled firms from its services, claiming the move aims to prevent a US adversary from advancing in AI and threatening American national security, according to Bloomberg.

 

Just this week, Anthropic claimed in a blog post that three Chinese AI companies used Claude to improperly obtain capabilities to improve their own models, creating significant national security risks, Reuters reported.

 

Anthropic’s accusation sparked widespread criticism from many netizens and even Elon Musk, who pointed out Anthropic’s own track record of stealing data. 

 

Zhou Mi, a senior research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, noted the lack of globally recognized rules in AI is a problem.

 

The development of AI is a cutting-edge technological field. Many things are unprecedented or difficult to define, but one thing is certain: It can’t become a game to slander others as threat, Zhou told the Global Times on Saturday.

 

"The establishment of rules should not be determined by a single enterprise or government, but should be collectively determined through consultation among all parties," Zhou noted.