Scoop: Top Senate defense leaders intervene in Pentagon-Anthropic AI dispute

Illustration of the Capitol dome with scaffolding all around made from a glowing circuit pattern. — Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Key Senate defense leaders on Friday are privately pressing Anthropic and the Pentagon to resolve their dispute, a source familiar with the matter told Axios.

Why it matters: Pressure has been building on Congress to step in as the Pentagon and Anthropic engage in a prolonged public battle over the limits of the use of Anthropic's Claude AI in classified settings.

Driving the news: Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-R.I.), along with Defense Appropriations Chair Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Ranking Member Chris Coons (D-Del.) sent Anthropic and the Pentagon a private letter on Friday urging them to resolve the issue, the source said.

The bipartisan letter calls for the Pentagon to extend its deadline, according to a source familiar with the situation.

Catch up quick: The Pentagon and Anthropic are in a high-stakes clash over the limits Anthropic wants to place on the department's use of its AI model Claude: no mass surveillance or autonomous weapons.

Anthropic said Thursday it would not accept the Pentagon's demands, but that it remains committed to negotiations.

What's next: Pentagon officials have said that Anthropic has until 5:01pm EST on Friday to agree to their demands or face losing its contract.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details throughout.

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Scoop: Top Senate defense leaders intervene in Pentagon-Anthropic AI dispute

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