The Pentagon is actively testing AI models from OpenAI, Google, and xAI as potential replacements for Anthropic's Claude, which was designated a supply-chain risk by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after a standoff over AI usage restrictions.
Department of Defense Chief Technology Officer Emil Michael stated on Friday that AI company Anthropic is still considered a supply chain risk and remains blacklisted, while clarifying that Mythos, the company's AI model with advanced cyber capabilities, is being treated as a separate issue.
Google signed a new contract allowing the Pentagon broader access to its AI models after Anthropic declined to permit Department of Defense use for domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons, despite protests from over 600 Google employees.
The White House has authorized federal agencies to access Anthropic's controversial Mythos AI model for cybersecurity applications, overriding Pentagon security concerns about the model's advanced exploit capabilities.
A federal judge granted Anthropic a preliminary injunction ordering the Trump administration to rescind restrictions that had blacklisted the AI company from Defense Department contracts. The ruling represents a significant legal victory in Anthropic's weeks-long standoff with the Pentagon.
After Anthropic refused to allow the Pentagon unrestricted use of its AI models, President Trump ordered all federal agencies to stop using Anthropic's technology, and Department of War Secretary Hegseth designated the company a national security supply chain risk.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei publicly refused to comply with Pentagon demands for unrestricted access to its AI models, saying the company would rather lose its War Department contract than allow its technology to be used for mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons.
