Anthropic filed two lawsuits against the Department of Defense on Monday, alleging that the government’s decision to classify artificial intelligence companies as “supply chain risks” is illegal and violates its First Amendment rights. The two companies have been locked in a bitter, months-long standoff over the company’s efforts to introduce safeguards against the military’s potential use of its AI models for domestic mass surveillance and fully autonomous lethal weapons.
The lawsuit filed by Anthropic in the Northern District of California and the District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit comes after the Department of Defense formally issued a supply chain risk designation last Thursday, marking the first time the blacklisting tool has been used against a U.S. company. The AI company has previously vowed to object to the designation and to demands that companies doing business with the government sever ties with Anthropic, which poses a serious threat to its business model.
Anthropic’s lawsuit alleges that the Trump administration is violating protected speech by punishing the company for refusing to comply with the government’s ideological demands.
“These actions are unprecedented and illegal. The Constitution does not allow the government to use vast powers to punish corporations for protected speech,” Anthropic said in its California lawsuit.
Anthropic’s AI model, called Claude, has become deeply integrated into the Department of Defense over the past year. Until recently, Claude was also the only AI mode approved for use on classified systems. The Pentagon reportedly uses it extensively in military operations, including determining where to target missile attacks in the war with Iran.
Anthropic emphasized in its lawsuit that it remains committed to providing AI for national security purposes. The company also said in its California lawsuit that it has worked with the Department of Defense to modify the system to fit its unique use cases. The company said in a statement that it wants to continue negotiations with the government.
“While seeking a judicial review will not change our long-standing commitment to leveraging AI to protect national security, it is a necessary step to protect our business, customers and partners,” an Antropic spokesperson said in a statement to the Guardian. “We will continue to pursue all avenues for a resolution, including dialogue with the government.”
The AI companies argued in their lawsuit that the Trump administration and Pentagon’s punitive actions have “irreparably harmed Anthrop,” a charge that somewhat contradicts CEO Dario Amodei’s accusations last week, when CEO Dario Amodei told CBS News that “the impact of this designation is fairly small” and that the company “will be fine.”
“Defendants seek to destroy the economic value created by one of the world’s fastest-growing private companies, a leader in responsibly developing emerging technologies that are critical to our nation,” Antropic argued in its lawsuit.
The Department of Defense did not respond to requests for comment.
