White House Drafts Order to Reverse Anthropic Restrictions
The White House is preparing an executive action that would allow federal agencies to use Anthropic's AI models again, reversing a ban imposed in February, according to reporting from Axios.
The action would overturn an Office of Management and Budget directive that restricted government use of Anthropic products. The White House said it works with frontier AI labs to benefit the economy and the country, but declined to confirm details before an official announcement.
What Led to the Ban
In late February, the White House ordered federal agencies to stop using Anthropic's Claude models and gave them six months to phase out the technology. President Donald Trump said the government would no longer work with the company.
The move followed a dispute with the Pentagon. The Defense Department had demanded Anthropic agree that the military could use its models for "all lawful use cases." Anthropic refused, seeking contract language that would prohibit use of its models for autonomous weapons and mass domestic surveillance.
Anthropic announced plans to challenge the ban in court.
Recent Developments
On April 17, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei met with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles to discuss resolving the dispute.
Around the same time, concerns emerged about Anthropic's Mythos model and cybersecurity risks. Anthropic had been briefing government officials about the model and discussing early access for federal agencies.
Government employees working with AI for Government initiatives should monitor official channels for policy announcements, as details remain subject to White House confirmation.
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