Pentagon Clashes with AI Company Over Autonomous Weapons

0:00I'm Cory, and this is your Pulse of the World, Global News Today. A top Pentagon official has sparked controversy by calling out AI company Anthropic for blocking its technology from fully autonomous weapons. Defense Under Secretary Emil Michael says these ethical limits hinder US military plans, especially for President Trump's Golden Dome missile defense. System that would place weapons in space, the clash escalated after months of talks broke down. Michael, the Pentagon's chief technology officer, shared his frustration on a popular podcast. He described needing a steady AI partner for swarms of armed drones and underwater vehicles to keep up with rivals like China. And for Optics Chatbot Claude, he argued, became an unreliable option due to its restrictions on high-risk uses. The Pentagon responded by labeling Anthropic a supply chain risk, effectively ending his defense contracts. President Trump ordered federal agencies to stop using Claude right away, though the military gets six months to phase it out from classified systems.

1:03This hits partnerships with other contractors hard. Anthropic plans to sue over the decision, insisting its rules only target fully autonomous weapons and mass surveillance of Americans, not current, operations. Competitors like Google, OpenAI and XAI agree to allow all lawful military uses paving the way for their tech and defense work. Meanwhile, the dispute highlights a bigger shift toward AI autonomy in warfare. Michael outlined low-risk scenarios, like space-based intercepts or base defenses against drones. With court battles ahead, the fight over AI ethics in the military is far from over. Appreciation to our sponsor for backing this episode. Your bedtime ritual just got better. Built in Sound, Built in Comfort, S-O-L-I, solelypillow.com