US official says Anthropic still flagged as risk to defense industrial base

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced that AI firm Anthropic has reconciled with the Trump administration, indicating an improvement in their previously strained relationship. This development follows a recent court decision where a U.S. judge ruled in favor of Anthropic concerning its dispute with the U.S. military over AI safety. The conflict originated from Anthropic's refusal to allow the military to use its AI models for domestic surveillance or autonomous weapons, which led U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to block Anthropic from military contracts. Anthropic had initiated legal action in a California court over the matter.

In a separate but related initiative, the U.S. is urging G20 countries to develop rules for AI companies training on copyrighted material. Commerce Secretary Lutnick advocated for 'fair use' principles while also emphasizing the protection of artists. The Justice Department has also voiced support for OpenAI in its ongoing dispute with newspapers regarding AI training data.

However, U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Emil Michael stated that Anthropic remains designated as a 'Supply Chain Risk' within the Department of Defense and across the defense industrial base, pushing back against suggestions of a thaw in relations.