Emil Michael, the Department of War’s chief technology officer, has publicly described the pivotal moment when military leadership realized the extent of the Pentagon’s reliance on Anthropic’s AI technology, a discovery that preceded the recent breakdown in their relationship.
Emil Michael, the War Department’s under secretary for research and engineering and chief technology officer, provided detailed insights into the events that led to the public dispute between the Pentagon and Anthropic during a Friday appearance on the All-In Podcast.
The realization came following the military operation in Venezuela during early January that resulted in the capture of dictator Nicolas Maduro. After the raid, Anthropic contacted Palantir to inquire whether its AI had been utilized in the operation. While Anthropic described this inquiry as routine procedure, both the Pentagon and Palantir interpreted it as a potential warning sign about future access to the technology.
Michael recounted his immediate concern about the implications of this dependency. “I’m like, holy shit, what if this software went down, some guardrail picked up, some refusal happened for the next fight like this one and we left our people at risk?” Michael said. “So I went to Secretary Hegseth, I said this would happen and that was like a ‘whoa moment’ for the whole leadership at the Pentagon that we’re potentially so dependent on a software provider without another alternative.”
Until recently, Anthropic’s Claude represented the only AI model approved for use in classified military environments. The San Francisco-based company has publicly stated its patriotic commitment to defending the United States while maintaining that it will not permit its AI to be deployed for mass domestic surveillance or autonomous weapons systems.
Pentagon officials maintained they intended to use the AI only in lawful scenarios and rejected any restrictions from the company extending beyond legal constraints. When negotiations failed to produce a compromise last week, President Donald Trump issued an order directing the federal government to cease using Anthropic, while granting the Pentagon a six-month transition period. War Secretary Pete Hegseth additionally designated the company as a supply-chain risk, prohibiting contractors from utilizing its technology for military-related work.
During the podcast interview, Michael expressed concern about the possibility of a rogue developer manipulating the model to compromise its military effectiveness, training it to deliberately produce false information, or programming it to disregard instructions.
Following these concerns, Michael reached out to OpenAI, which subsequently negotiated an agreement similar to Anthropic’s original arrangement. Elon Musk’s xAI has also gained access to classified systems, and the Pentagon is working to secure approval for Google’s AI in classified environments.
“I’m not biased,” Michael stated. “I just want all of them. I want to give them all the same exact terms because I need redundancy.”
Michael acknowledged that Anthropic had become deeply integrated within the War Department while other AI companies had not pursued enterprise customers as aggressively by providing forward-deployed engineers.
The dispute between the Pentagon and Anthropic underscores the cultural tensions between the defense establishment and Silicon Valley. While the technology sector has historical roots in military innovation, many companies have grown increasingly uncomfortable with their technologies being applied to warfare. Shockwaves continue to be felt in the AI industry, such as the recent departure of OpenAI’s robotics head over concerns about its Pentagon deal.
Breitbart News social media director Wynton Hall lays out the dangers of AI technology being controlled by Silicon Valley leftists hostile to not only the MAGA movement, but America in general, and how conservatives can protect their family members and the country at large from this menace in the forthcoming book Code Red: The Left, the Right, China, and the Race to Control AI.
HarperCollins’s official book description says the book’s contents will include:
- Why AI is wired for woke indoctrination—and how to resist it.
- How elites plan to weaponize fears over AI job losses to push dependency.
- How America can beat China without becoming China.
- How to prepare your kids for the blinding speed of AI disruption.
- The new national security threats AI unleashes—and how we defend against them.
- Why “AI girlfriends” are luring millions—and what it will take to preserve authentic human connection.
- How AI will test faith and meaning—and why spiritual renewal may be its most surprising outcome.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
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