US President Donald Trump has directed all federal agencies to immediately cease the use of technology developed by AI firm Anthropic, escalating tensions between the government and the artificial intelligence company.
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In a post shared on Truth Social on February 28, Trump said he was “directing all federal agencies in the United States Government to IMMEDIATELY CEASE all use of Anthropic’s technology.” He added that a six-month phase-out period would apply to departments currently using the company’s products, including the Department of Defense.
The move follows remarks by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who instructed the Pentagon to designate Anthropic as a “supply chain risk.” In a follow-up statement on X, Hegseth ordered contractors, suppliers and partners working with the US military to stop any commercial activity with the company, saying the decision was final.
US President #DonaldTrump has ordered every federal agency to “immediately” stop using technology developed by AI firm Anthropic. In a scathing post on #Truth Social, Trump branded the company’s leadership “Leftwing nut jobs”, escalating the growing standoff between the White… pic.twitter.com/v1IfiGqhkC
— The Times Of India (@timesofindia) February 28, 2026
Anthropic responded by defending its position, stating that negotiations with the Pentagon had stalled over two requested exceptions regarding the lawful use of its AI model, Claude. According to the company, those exceptions involved mass domestic surveillance of Americans and the development of fully autonomous weapons.
The firm described the government’s action as legally unfounded and warned it would challenge any supply chain risk designation in court. It said no intimidation or punitive measures would alter its stance on surveillance or autonomous weapons.
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The dispute comes after weeks of negotiations between Anthropic and the Pentagon over military applications of artificial intelligence, highlighting broader tensions between technology firms and the US government over ethical boundaries in AI deployment.