JO LING KENT:
00:01:07
On Thursday, Undersecretary of Defense Emil Michael told CBS News the military has now offered Anthropic concessions. We will put it in writing that we're specifically acknowledging that these laws exist for the privacy of Americans, we're specifically acknowledging these policies that have been in place for years at the Pentagon regarding autonomous weapons.
JO LING KENT:
00:01:29
If Anthropic doesn't comply, the Pentagon says it will revoke the company's government contracts, labeling them a supply chain risk, or seize use of the technology under the Defense Production Act. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei responded Thursday, denying concessions were offered, saying, "these threats do not change our position. We cannot in good conscience accede to their request." The conflict stems from the Pentagon wanting unrestricted access to Anthropic's AI. [EXPLOSION] The tipping point came after the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro in January, when the US military ran the operation with the help of Anthropic's Claude.
NARRATOR:
00:02:10
With Claude as your thinking partner, you made it real.
JO LING KENT:
00:02:14
The company's powerful AI technology that helps with everything from decision-making to computer modeling. Anthropic wants to maintain restrictions that will not allow the military to enable mass surveillance of Americans or AI-enabled autonomous weapons without human involvement. Amodei has repeatedly warned about the potential dangers that AI poses, especially when abused. I am concerned that AI may be uniquely well suited to autocracy and to deepening the repression that we see in autocracies. This is something that's much bigger than the Industrial Revolution. This is bigger than the invention of nuclear weapons.
JO LING KENT:
00:02:55
Jeffrey Ladish used to do work for Anthropic. I think it's reasonable for the government to be concerned about companies getting to dictate the terms of the most powerful technology that humans have ever invented. At the same time, I think it's very reasonable for companies to be very concerned with what governments might do with this technology. Multiple sources involved in these meetings say the negotiations are ongoing. And in his response on Thursday, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei pushed back at the Pentagon's official argument, saying that if the military really does not intend to use Claude for domestic surveillance or autonomous weapons, he says they should, quote, "have no problem agreeing to these restrictions" that Anthropic is asking for, guys. That seems like a fair point, Jo Ling. The clock is ticking. It'll be very interesting to see how this turns out. Yeah, and the Pentagon hasn't made clear exactly why they want this technology. I think, as Mr. Ladish points out, companies should be very concerned when governments want access to technology without being transparent about what it's being used for. Used for. All right, Jo Ling, thank you very much.
