Tech Workers from Rivals Back Anthropic in Pentagon Legal Fight

In a rare show of solidarity, more than 30 employees from leading AI firms OpenAI and Google have personally backed Anthropic in its escalating legal battle with the U.S. government. The group, which includes Google DeepMind's chief scientist Jeff Dean, filed a friend-of-the-court brief on Monday supporting Anthropic's request for a temporary order to continue its military work.

The brief was submitted hours after Anthropic sued the Department of Defense. The lawsuit challenges the Pentagon's recent move to label the AI company a "supply-chain risk," a designation that effectively bars it from contracts with military partners. This sanction followed a breakdown in negotiations between Anthropic and the Pentagon.

The signatories, acting in a personal capacity and not on behalf of their employers, argue the government's action creates damaging uncertainty. They contend it will hurt U.S. innovation and stifle necessary debate about advanced AI systems. The filing states that if the Pentagon had concerns, it could have simply terminated its contract with Anthropic rather than imposing a broad blacklisting.

The document also defends Anthropic's insistence on contractual safeguards, such as prohibitions on using its AI for mass surveillance or autonomous weapons, calling such limits a "vital safeguard" in the absence of comprehensive regulation.

The case has drawn attention from across the industry. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman publicly called the Pentagon's decision "very bad for our industry and our country." Notably, OpenAI secured its own military contract as Anthropic's relationship with the Pentagon deteriorated, a move some observers viewed as capitalizing on its rival's troubles. Neither OpenAI nor Google provided official comment on their employees' legal filing.

Source: Wired