USA OpenAI: Agreement with Pentagon on AI use
Following the dispute between the Pentagon and the AI company Anthropic, rival OpenAI says it has reached an agreement with the US Department of Defense on the use of its software in the military. "Tonight we reached an agreement with the Department of War to use our models in their classified network," wrote OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on the X platform. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth reposted the statement, as did senior official Emil Michael.
28.02.2026, 07:24
SDA
Altman went on to explain that two of OpenAI's key security principles are the prohibition of domestic mass surveillance and human accountability for the use of force, including autonomous weapons systems. "The War Department agrees with these principles, enshrines them in law and policy, and we have incorporated them into our agreement." Further details of the deal were not initially known.
Dispute between Pentagon and Anthropic escalates
OpenAI's competitor Anthropic had also insisted on the two security principles. According to its CEO Dario Amodei, the company wanted to enforce limits on the use of its AI software in the US military, namely that the company's AI would not be used for mass surveillance in the US or in fully autonomous weapons.
The dispute escalated on Friday: Hegseth ordered Anthropic to be classified as a "Supply-Chain Risk to National Security". With immediate effect, contractors, suppliers or partners of the US military would no longer be allowed to do business with the company, Hegseth wrote on X. Anthropic should continue to provide services to the Department of Defense for a maximum of six months to allow for a transition to a "better and more patriotic" provider.
The measure was taken in connection with a directive from President Donald Trump for all federal agencies to stop using Anthropic technology.
ChatGPT operator OpenAI and the company Anthropic are competing to place their artificial intelligence software in companies and government agencies.
Altman: A level playing field for all AI companies
In his statement on X, OpenAI CEO Altman also called on the Pentagon to offer these same conditions to all AI companies - "conditions that we believe every company should accept". The desire for de-escalation was expressed.
He also explained that OpenAI will develop technical safeguards to ensure that the models behave as intended, which is also in line with the Ministry's wishes.
