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Did US use Anthropic's Claude AI in Iran strikes despite Trump's ban?
Anthropic's AI was employed in US airstrikes on Iran shortly after Trump ordered federal agencies to stop using the technology.
The United States defense forces employed artificial intelligence created by Anthropic during the airstrikes on Iran, mere hours after US President Donald Trump instructed federal agencies to cease collaboration with the technology firm, reported The Wall Street Journal.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the strikes conducted by the US and Israel, with state media confirming his death shortly after Trump made the announcement. Reports indicated that he was targeted at his office in Tehran early on Saturday. In response, Iran declared a mourning period of 40 days and announced seven public holidays.
Trump hailed the strike as an act of justice and urged Iranian forces to refrain from further action. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called upon the Iranian people to rise up against their regime. Meanwhile, the Revolutionary Guards pledged to retaliate as the nation commenced its constitutional succession process.
Importance of Anthropic's Claude AI amid attacks on Iran
According to the WSJ report, which cites people familiar with the situation, the US Command utilized Anthropic’s AI for intelligence evaluations, target identification, and the simulation of combat scenarios.
The application of Claude in such critical missions underscores that the model is already embedded within US military operations, despite the significant deterioration in relations between Anthropic and the Pentagon, the report stated citing sources.
Claude had previously received authorization for deployment in classified military and intelligence operations through collaborations with Palantir and Amazon Web Services. It was also used during the operation to apprehend then-Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro earlier this year.
What is Anthropic’s AI model?
According to the WSJ, Anthropic’s AI model was utilized during the January raid in Caracas that resulted in Maduro’s capture and his subsequent transfer to New York to face drug-trafficking charges. Maduro and his spouse were apprehended in Caracas following the bombing of several locations by US defense forces.
Anthropic was part of a select group of prominent AI laboratories – including OpenAI, Google, and xAI – that obtained multiyear contracts from the Pentagon valued at up to $200 million each to deliver advanced AI capabilities.
All on Trump's order against using Anthropic’s technology
Last week, Trump instructed all federal agencies to "immediately cease" utilizing Anthropic’s technology, labeling the company as "leftwing nut jobs" and accusing it of jeopardizing "American lives."
He ordered the Pentagon to classify Anthropic as a "supply chain risk" and to commence a six-month phase-out of its systems across various agencies, including what he termed the "Department of War."
Tensions have heightened in recent weeks following Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's ultimatum to Anthropic, demanding unrestricted use of its AI tools for any "lawful" military application. Anthropic’s CEO, Dario Amodei, publicly dismissed the requests to eliminate safeguards against certain uses, presenting them as ethical boundaries that the company would not breach, even at the expense of government contracts.
