Taking A Stand that Will Hurt

A problem of ethical values when a person of power threatens a person or company to get them to do something they want done. Typically, it is an action by the weakest of people who by themselves can not stand alone.

One company Takes a Stand Against Pete Hegseth, The Atlantic

Anthropic PBC is an AI safety and research company. In its one product Claude, Anthropic programed in certain restrictions. The Department of Defense used Anthropic’s Claude in it visit to Venezuela. Claude can be said to be a problem solver. It was built to solve difficult problem, tackle complex challenges, analyze data, write code, and think through your hardest work.

The Pentagon had been using the company’s flagship product, Claude, for months as part of a $200 million contract with Anthropic. DOD would like to use it for other things, things which are blocked (probably programming). So far Anthropic’s CEO is not budging on allowing more capabilities. The shoty version as the CEO is not willing to open up more capabilities.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth sat with Dario Amodei (CEO of the leading AI firm Anthropic) for a conversation about ethics. You ee Pete would like to use Claude for other ventures. If such were allowed, it could not be used to facilitate the surveillance of Americans, used in fully autonomous weaponry where a computer (rather than human) make the final decision about whom to kill.

Petey made it very clear, if Anthropic did not eliminate those two guardrails by Friday afternoon, two things could happen:

• The Department of Defense could use the Defense Production Act, a Cold War–era law, to essentially commandeer a more permissive iteration of the AI, or
• It could label Anthropic a “supply-chain risk,” meaning that anyone doing business with the U.S. military would be forbidden from associating with the company.

Anthropic said in a public statement, it “cannot in good conscience accede” to the Pentagon’s request. What happens next could mark a crucial moment for the company. It would have an impact on the American government’s approach to AI regulation more broadly. In refusing to bow to an administration intent on bullying private companies into submission creates a problem for Hegseth . Anthropic’s CEO Amodei and his team are taking a bold stand on ethical grounds, and risking a censure that could erode Anthropic’s long-term viability.

In effect, Hegseth is threatening to partially nationalize one of the biggest AI players in the private sector and force the company to go against its own principles. Reportedly the Pentagon is reaching out to other defense contractors to see if they’re connected to Anthropic. An attempt to cut Anthropic off from the economy. Hegseth is preparing to designate the company a supply-chain risk. What nonsense. I hope they can hold out.

“Anthropic Takes a Stand,” The Atlantic, Will Gottsegen. I am a long-time subscriber to The Atlantic and will continue to do so for years to come.