Anthropic's CEO says the AI company “cannot in good conscience accede” to the Pentagon’s demands to allow wider use of its technology.

Defense chief Pete Hegseth has threatened to force the company to lift guardrails against greater military use of AI.

Start-up Anthropic and the U.S. military are careening toward a clash over government use of artificial intelligence — and whether it should be allowed to kill.

The row between Anthropic, a much vaunted AI startup, and the Trump administration, is sharply escalating. The Pentagon wants complete access to its models, despite safety and ethical concerns.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei on Thursday said the company "cannot in good conscience" agree to allow the Department of Defense to use its models in all lawful use cases without limitation, adding that the agency's threats do not change its position.

As well as designating Anthropic as a supply chain risk, the government could also cancel its contract or invoke a Cold War-era law called the Defense Production Act to give the military more sweeping authority to use its products, even if the company doesn’t approve.

The Pentagon's top technology official told CBS News the military has offered compromises to Anthropic, amid a feud over whether its powerful AI technology will be restricted — but Anthropic called the offer inadequate.

The Pentagon escalated its ongoing dispute with Anthropic PBC on Thursday, making public a threat to effectively ban the artificial intelligence startup from the US military’s vast supply chain.