A contract dispute between Anthropic and the U.S. Department of Defense escalated this week after CEO Dario Amodei said the company “cannot in good conscience accede” to the Pentagon’s request to grant unrestricted access to its artificial intelligence systems. The confrontation centers on a Friday deadline of 5:01 p.m. ET set by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Hegseth issued the ultimatum on Tuesday after meeting with Amodei at the Pentagon, according to a source familiar with the discussion who spoke to the BBC. A senior Pentagon official confirmed that Anthropic had until Friday evening to comply or face consequences. Anthropic develops… [Continue Reading]