Judge sides with Anthropic to temporarily block the Pentagon’s ban

A federal judge granted Anthropic a preliminary injunction against the Pentagon, temporarily halting a ban imposed after the company voiced concerns about the military's potential use of its AI technology, Claude, for autonomous lethal weapons and domestic mass surveillance. Judge Rita F. Lin ruled that the ban appeared to be retaliation for Anthropic’s public scrutiny of the government’s contracting position, a violation of the First Amendment. The dispute began when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sought to include “any lawful use” clauses in AI procurement contracts. Anthropic refused to agree to terms that would allow its AI to be used for the aforementioned prohibited purposes, leading to its designation as a supply chain risk, which threatened its business. The judge questioned the Pentagon’s actions, particularly a social media post by Secretary Hegseth, and noted the potential for the ban to severely harm Anthropic. While a final verdict is pending, the injunction allows Anthropic to continue operating while the lawsuit proceeds.

(Source：The Verge)