Tech workers from OpenAI and Google back Anthropic in Pentagon-related lawsuit

More than 30 employees from OpenAI and Google DeepMind filed a statement on Monday in support of Anthropic’s lawsuit against the U.S. Defence Department after the federal agency designated the AI company a supply-chain risk, according to court filings.

“The government’s designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk was an improper and arbitrary use of power that has serious ramifications for our industry,” the brief says. Among those who signed it is Google DeepMind chief scientist Jeff Dean.

Late last week, the Pentagon labelled Anthropic a supply-chain risk — a designation normally used for foreign adversaries — after the AI company refused to let the Department of Defence use its technology for mass surveillance of Americans or for weapons systems capable of firing autonomously. The DOD argued that it should be allowed to use AI for any “lawful” purpose and should not be subject to restrictions by a private contractor.

The amicus brief supporting Anthropic appeared on the docket just a few hours after the company behind Claude filed two lawsuits against the DOD and other federal agencies. Wired first reported the development.

In the court filing, employees from Google and OpenAI argue that if the Pentagon was “no longer satisfied with the agreed-upon terms of its contract with Anthropic,” then the agency could have “simply cancelled the contract and purchased the services of another leading AI company.”

The DOD reached an agreement with OpenAI almost immediately after designating Anthropic a supply-chain risk,  a move that many employees at the maker of ChatGPT opposed.

“If allowed to proceed, this effort to punish one of the leading U.S. AI companies will undoubtedly have consequences for the United States’ industrial and scientific competitiveness in the field of artificial intelligence and beyond,” the brief says. “And it will chill open deliberation in our field about the risks and benefits of today’s AI systems.”

The filing also says that Anthropic’s stated red lines are legitimate concerns that deserve strong safeguards. In the absence of public law governing AI use, it argues that the contractual and technical restrictions that AI developers impose on their systems are a critical defence against catastrophic misuse.

Many of the employees who signed the statement had also signed open letters over the past two weeks urging the DOD to withdraw the designation and calling on the leaders of their own companies to support Anthropic and reject unilateral use of their AI systems.