Anthropic sues Pentagon over ‘risk’ label

Ex-Meta AI chief's new start-up raises $1.03bn

- SHEERA FRENKEL

Dario Amodei, chief executive of Anthropic, attends a financial conference in New York in December. NYT

The AI company filed two lawsuits — one in the US District Court in the Northern District of California and one in the DC Circuit Court of Appeals — accusing the Pentagon of using the supply chain risk designation inappropriately to punish it on ideological grounds.

The designation, which effectively cuts off Anthropic's work with the Defense Department, is typically applied to firms that are deemed a major national security risk, such as companies with ties to the government of China. The label has never been used on an American company.

"This is a necessary step to protect our business, our customers and our partners," Anthropic said in a statement. "We will continue to pursue every path towards resolution, including dialogue with the government."

A Pentagon spokesperson said that it did not comment on litigation as a matter of policy.