Microsoft defends Anthropic and asks the Pentagon to halt the ban on its AI

New York.- Microsoft backed Anthropic in its legal dispute against the U.S. Government on Tuesday and requested a court order to temporarily block the designation of the company as a “risk to the supply chain,” a label imposed by the Pentagon that threatens existing artificial intelligence contracts in the military sector. Microsoft presented a document to the court arguing that this measure would allow for a “more orderly transition” and would avoid disrupting the use of advanced AI by the Armed Forces. “Otherwise, Microsoft and other technology companies must act immediately to alter the current configurations of products and contracts of the Department of War. This could hinder American combatants at a critical time,” the company warned in the legal document. Last week, the War Department officially banned Anthropic’s technology, calling it a national security risk, after failing to reach an agreement with the company because the AI company demanded guarantees that its models would not be used for fully autonomous weapons or domestic mass surveillance.

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The Pentagon demanded full and unrestricted access for any legal purpose. This decision forces defense contractors to certify that they do not use Anthropic’s models in their projects with the Pentagon. In response, Anthropic sued on Monday the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, calling the actions “illegal” and “unprecedented”.

In Search of a Negotiation

Despite not being directly involved in the lawsuit, Microsoft intervened through a written statement, pointing out that a judicial truce would allow both parties to seek a “negotiated resolution.”

Last week, Microsoft announced that it will continue to integrate Anthropic’s artificial intelligence models into its products, according to CNBC. “Our lawyers have studied the designation and have concluded that Anthropic’s products, including Claude, can continue to be available to our customers, except for the Department of War, through platforms like M365, GitHub, and Microsoft’s AI Foundry,” a Microsoft spokesperson told CNBC.

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For their part, cloud giants Google and Amazon, which also integrate Anthropic technology, clarified to their clients that, outside the defense sector, Anthropic’s products will remain available on their platforms.