Trump increases pressure on AI companies in security dispute

The power struggle over artificial intelligence in the United States is entering a new political phase. The administration of President Donald Trump is increasing pressure on major technology companies and demanding closer cooperation between government, military and the AI industry. The trigger is a conflict with the company Anthropic that has now developed into a broader dispute over how advanced AI systems should be used.

Anthropic is among the leading developers of generative AI models. The company had sought to limit the use of its system Claude in certain military applications and had particularly opposed its deployment in autonomous weapons systems or large-scale surveillance programs. This position brought the company into direct conflict with the government in Washington.

The United States Department of Defense responded with a far-reaching decision. Federal agencies are expected to stop using the company’s technology. The Pentagon’s reasoning is that providers of key technologies used in national security programs must be fully available for government use. For Anthropic, the decision could mean the loss of important government contracts and sends a clear political signal to the wider technology sector.

The dispute illustrates how significantly the relationship between government and the technology industry is changing. In the United States, artificial intelligence is increasingly viewed as a strategic technology. Washington now treats it as an integral part of national security infrastructure and as a decisive factor in the technological competition with China.

For companies such as OpenAI, Google and Anthropic, this creates a complex situation. On the one hand, they are driving the development of generative AI systems and have established their own rules for the responsible use of their technologies. On the other hand, political pressure is growing to make these systems available for government and military applications.

The conflict surrounding Anthropic shows that the boundaries between civilian technology development and state security policy are shifting. Decisions about the use of artificial intelligence are no longer made solely in the boardrooms of technology companies. They are increasingly becoming part of geopolitical strategy.

SK