How Talks Between Anthropic and the Defense Dept. Fell Apart - The New York Times

The Pentagon and Anthropic were close to agreeing on the use of artificial intelligence. But strong personalities, mutual dislike and a rival company unraveled a deal. By Sheera FrenkelCade Metz and Julian E. Barnes Sheera Frenkel and Cade Metz reported from San Francisco, and Julian Barnes from Washington. Minutes before a 5:01 p.m. deadline on Friday, Emil Michael, the Department of Defense’s chief technology officer, was fuming. For weeks, Mr. Michael, a former top executive at Uber, had been negotiating a $200 million artificial intelligence contract with the A.I. company Anthropic for the Pentagon. The talks had hit obstacles as the agency demanded unfettered use of Anthropic’s A.I. systems, while the company countered that it would not allow its technology to be used for purposes such as the surveillance of Americans. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had set the Friday deadline for a deal and the two sides were close. The only thing that remained was agreeing on a few words about t

The Pentagon and Anthropic were close to agreeing on the use of artificial intelligence. But strong personalities, mutual dislike and a rival company unraveled a deal. By Sheera FrenkelCade Metz and Julian E. Barnes Sheera Frenkel and Cade Metz reported from San Francisco, and Julian Barnes from Washington. Minutes before a 5:01 p.m. deadline on Friday, Emil Michael, the Department of Defense’s chief technology officer, was fuming. For weeks, Mr. Michael, a former top executive at Uber, had been negotiating a $200 million artificial intelligence contract with the A.I. company Anthropic for the