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

Anthropic said Thursday that “virtually no progress” had been made in the company’s talks with the Pentagon over the terms of use for its AI models ahead of a Friday afternoon deadline. The

The Defense Department has been feuding with Anthropic over military uses of its artificial intelligence tools. At stake are hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts and access to some of the most advanced AI on the planet.

Anthropic refuses the Pentagon's request to remove AI safeguards, risking a $200 million contract. The AI startup opposes using its technology for autonomous weapons and mass surveillance. The Pentagon threatens to classify Anthropic as a supply chain risk,

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.

"Otherwise, we will terminate our partnership with Anthropic and deem them a supply chain risk for DOW," chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said on X.

Debates have long swirled around AI and its use in weapons targeting, the idea of no human involvement still an uncomfortable one.