Anthropic is standing up to the US Department of War and refusing to remove AI autonomous weapon and mass surveillance safeguards: 'We cannot in good conscience accede to their request'

Dario Amodei, co-founder and chief executive officer of Anthropic, at Bloomberg House during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. The annual Davos gathering of political leaders, top executives and celebrities runs from Jan. 19-23. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has released a statement on the company's website regarding its months-long dispute with the US Department of War over the use of its AI technology. In the statement. Amodei outlines his refusal to remove safeguards that prevent its AI products from being used for fully autonomous weapons and domestic mass surveillance purposes.

"I believe deeply in the existential importance of using AI to defend the United States and other democracies, and to defeat our autocratic adversaries," the statement begins. "Anthropic has therefore worked proactively to deploy our models to the Department of War and the intelligence community.