A Washington court upholds the Pentagon’s ban on Anthropic amid concerns over the military use of its Claude model

A federal court in Washington on Friday rejected Anthropic’s request to overturn the ban imposed by the Pentagon, maintaining restrictions on U.S. military contractors that use the Claude artificial intelligence model. The Department of Defense fears that the system could refuse certain military missions.

In March, the Pentagon placed Anthropic on its list of companies deemed a supply-chain risk. The designation had previously been reserved primarily for foreign companies with ties to states perceived as hostile to the United States.

The conflict began in February, after Anthropic refused to allow Claude to be used for mass surveillance of populations and the automation of lethal attacks. In a separate proceeding, a judge in San Francisco overturned other sanctions imposed by the Donald Trump administration in August, including an order for federal agencies to stop using the model.

The company’s relationship with the Trump administration remains tense. In June, its advanced models were subjected to export controls, while Anthropic has advocated slowing AI development, as the White House promotes maintaining the U.S. advantage over China.