Anthropic on Monday launched legal action against the US Department of Defense after being labelled a supply chain risk. Within hours, nearly 40 employees from OpenAI and Google submitted an amicus brief backing the company's case.
Among them was Google's chief scientist and Gemini lead Jeff Dean, with the group outlining concerns over the Trump administration's decision and the broader implications for emerging AI technologies.
“The government's designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk was an improper and arbitrary use of power that has serious ramifications for our industry,” the employees wrote, reported TechCrunch and WIRED.
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The US Department of Defense last week placed Anthropic on its list of supply-chain risks, a category more commonly associated with hostile foreign entities. The decision followed the company's refusal to allow its AI systems to be used for mass monitoring of Americans or for weapons capable of operating autonomously.
Pentagon officials had maintained that government access to such technology should not be limited by conditions set by contractors.
According to the filing, staff members from Google and OpenAI stated that the Department of Defense could have ended its agreement with Anthropic if it was dissatisfied with the contract's conditions, and instead engaged a different leading artificial intelligence company.
The Department of Defense moved quickly to sign an agreement with OpenAI, shortly after classifying Anthropic as a supply-chain risk, a decision that drew objections from several employees at the company.
“If allowed to proceed, this effort to punish one of the leading U.S. AI companies will undoubtedly have consequences for the United States' industrial and scientific competitiveness in the field of artificial intelligence and beyond,” the brief reads.
“And it will chill open deliberation in our field about the risks and benefits of today's AI systems.”
Also Read | Anthropic Sues US Government Over Supply Chain Risk Label
In the filing, supporters of Anthropic contend that the company's firm restrictions are justified and deserve strong protective guardrails. They warn that until governments introduce clear legal frameworks for AI, the contractual agreements and technical limitations set by developers are among the most effective tools to prevent serious misuse.
“We are diverse in our politics and philosophies, but we are united in the conviction that today's frontier AI systems present risks when deployed to enable domestic mass surveillance or the operation of autonomous lethal weapons systems without human oversight, and that those risks require some kind of guardrails, whether via technical safeguards or usage restrictions,” the brief reads.
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