A significant ethical and corporate rift has emerged between leading artificial intelligence companies, Anthropic and OpenAI, concerning their engagements with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). At the heart of the dispute is the use of AI technology for military applications, with Anthropic's co-founder and CEO, Dario Amodei, expressing strong dissatisfaction with OpenAI's approach.

Last week, Anthropic and the DoD failed to reach an agreement over the military's request for unrestricted access to Anthropic's AI technology. Anthropic, which already held a $200 million contract with the military, adamantly insisted that the DoD affirm it would not employ the company's AI to facilitate domestic mass surveillance or autonomous weaponry. When these assurances were not met to Anthropic's satisfaction, the company declined the expanded deal.

In contrast, OpenAI, led by CEO Sam Altman, subsequently struck a deal with the DoD. Altman stated that OpenAI’s new defense contract would incorporate protections against the same red lines that Anthropic had previously asserted. This move, however, drew sharp criticism from Amodei. In an internal memo to staff, reported by The Information, Amodei referred to OpenAI’s dealings with the DoD as “safety theater” and labeled Altman’s messaging as “straight up lies,” accusing him of falsely “presenting himself as a peacemaker and dealmaker.”

Amodei’s concerns stem from Anthropic’s specific issue with the DoD’s insistence on the company’s AI being available for “any lawful use.” While OpenAI’s blog post similarly stated its contract allows AI use for “all lawful purposes,” it further claimed that in their interactions, the DoD considered mass domestic surveillance illegal and was not planning its use for this purpose, and that this fact was made explicit in their contract. However, critics have quickly pointed out that legal frameworks are subject to change, meaning what is currently deemed illegal could potentially become permissible in the future.

The public reaction to these developments appears to largely side with Anthropic. Reports indicate a significant surge in ChatGPT uninstalls, jumping 295% following OpenAI’s deal with the DoD. Amodei, in his communication to staff, highlighted this public sentiment, stating, “I think this attempted spin/gaslighting is not working very well on the general public or the media, where people mostly see OpenAI’s deal with the DoW as sketchy or suspicious, and see us as the heroes.” This indicates a broader public skepticism regarding the ethical implications of AI technology being utilized by military entities without explicit and unchangeable safeguards.