WASHINGTON — A federal judge ruled on Thursday the Trump administration acted unlawfully when it labeled the artificial intelligence start-up Anthropic a security risk and barred the company from working with the US government, calling the move “illegal and baseless”.The company argued in the lawsuit that Defense Secretary Pete Hegeth overstepped his authority with the new designation. It followed Anthropic’s refusal to allow the military to use its AI models for things that included surveillance or autonomous weapons.US District Court Judge Rita Lin in the Northern District of California said that the government had unlawfully retaliated against Anthropic “for constitutionally protected expressive activities” after the AI company spoke out about how its technology should be used.“The empty invocation of national security is not a blank check to punish and retaliate against government critics,” she wrote in her 59-page ruling.Anthropic welcomed the ruling. Anthropic is focused on “working productively with the government to harness AI for our national security so all Americans benefit from this technology,” a spokesperson told the BBC.Judge Lin said in the court filing that the Defense Department acted unlawfully to order firms that do business with the US military to boycott Anthropic.The Pentagon designated Anthropic as a supply-chain risk in February, under a law typically reserved for companies based in countries that pose a threat to the US.It marked the first time an American company had been publicly designated as such.Anthropic’s lawsuit said the government’s actions were both “unprecedented and unlawful”.The Claude-maker said its models were not reliable enough to be safely used in weapons systems for the military. It added that it opposed its use for domestic surveillance as a violation of rights.The Pentagon said at the time that private companies should not be able to constrain military action.The White House had previously said Anthropic was “a radical left, woke company” attempting to control military activity” and argued the military was beholden to the US Constitution, “not any woke AI company’s terms of service”.The Pentagon also argued that Anthropic’s refusal to accept new contract terms raised concerns over what the company could do with its technology.Anthropic said in its lawsuit that its business had been impacted by the government’s actions and its right to freedom of speech had been violated.Judge Lin said during an earlier round in the lawsuit that the government was trying to “cripple” the company and “chill public debate” over military use of AI.”This appears to be classic First Amendment retaliation,” the judge added.WASHINGTON — A federal judge ruled on Thursday the Trump administration acted unlawfully when it labeled the artificial intelligence start-up Anthropic a security risk and barred the company from working with the US government, calling the move “illegal and baseless”.The company argued in the lawsuit that Defense Secretary Pete Hegeth overstepped his authority with the new designation. It followed Anthropic’s refusal to allow the military to use its AI models for things that included surveillance or autonomous weapons.US District Court Judge Rita Lin in the Northern District of California said that the government had unlawfully retaliated against Anthropic “for constitutionally protected expressive activities” after the AI company spoke out about how its technology should be used.“The empty invocation of national security is not a blank check to punish and retaliate against government critics,” she wrote in her 59-page ruling.Anthropic welcomed the ruling. Anthropic is focused on “working productively with the government to harness AI for our national security so all Americans benefit from this technology,” a spokesperson told the BBC.Judge Lin said in the court filing that the Defense Department acted unlawfully to order firms that do business with the US military to boycott Anthropic.The Pentagon designated Anthropic as a supply-chain risk in February, under a law typically reserved for companies based in countries that pose a threat to the US.It marked the first time an American company had been publicly designated as such.Anthropic’s lawsuit said the government’s actions were both “unprecedented and unlawful”.The Claude-maker said its models were not reliable enough to be safely used in weapons systems for the military. It added that it opposed its use for domestic surveillance as a violation of rights.The Pentagon said at the time that private companies should not be able to constrain military action.The White House had previously said Anthropic was “a radical left, woke company” attempting to control military activity” and argued the military was beholden to the US Constitution, “not any woke AI company’s terms of service”.The Pentagon also argued that Anthropic’s refusal to accept new contract terms raised concerns over what the company could do with its technology.Anthropic said in its lawsuit that its business had been impacted by the government’s actions and its right to freedom of speech had been violated.Judge Lin said during an earlier round in the lawsuit that the government was trying to “cripple” the company and “chill public debate” over military use of AI.”This appears to be classic First Amendment retaliation,” the judge added.
Pete Hegseth's Pentagon unlawfully acted against Anthropic, judge rules
