Pentagon Signs Deals with Seven AI Giants, Anthropic Surprisingly Left Out

Pentagon Makes Major Announcement: Seven AI Giants Mobilized for Defense Networks

On May 1, Eastern Time, the Pentagon officially announced a major collaboration plan — signing agreements with seven leading artificial intelligence companies to deploy their most advanced AI technologies into the U.S. Department of Defense's classified networks. The seven selected companies are: SpaceX, OpenAI, Google, NVIDIA, Reflection, Microsoft, and Amazon Web Services (AWS).

However, in a move that surprised many observers, Anthropic — one of the world's top AI companies — was excluded from the list. Reports indicate that its exclusion is tied to disputes over the company's restrictive policies on the safe use of AI.

Tech Giants Make a Full Push into Defense

Judging by the selected roster, the Pentagon's "AI Defense Alliance" encompasses nearly half of America's tech industry powerhouses. Here's a closer look:

• OpenAI: As the creator of the GPT series of large language models, its inclusion marks a further step from the company's original nonprofit mission of "benefiting all of humanity" toward government and defense collaboration. OpenAI had previously quietly revised its usage policies, removing clauses that prohibited military applications.
• Google and Microsoft: The two cloud computing giants have long been deeply entrenched in government contracting, making their selection unsurprising.
• NVIDIA: As the undisputed leader in AI computing infrastructure, its GPU chips are the core hardware for training and deploying large models, making them indispensable in defense AI systems.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS): AWS had already accumulated extensive experience through defense cloud contracts such as JEDI.
• SpaceX: The inclusion of Elon Musk's space technology company signals that the deep integration of AI with space defense capabilities will become a new strategic direction.
• Reflection: Compared to the other giants, this company's selection has piqued industry curiosity, indicating that the Pentagon is also paying attention to emerging AI players.

Why Was Anthropic Shut Out?

The biggest surprise of this announcement is undoubtedly Anthropic's absence. As the developer of the Claude series of models, Anthropic has consistently positioned "AI safety" as its core brand philosophy — its founding team left OpenAI precisely due to concerns about AI safety.

According to multiple sources, Anthropic maintains relatively strict usage restriction policies regarding military and defense applications of AI. These safety "red lines" have created a clear divergence from the Pentagon's deployment requirements for AI technology. In short, the Pentagon needs AI capabilities that can be flexibly and deeply deployed in highly classified environments, and Anthropic's safety restrictions were deemed a potential obstacle to achieving that goal.

This outcome places Anthropic in a rather awkward position: adhering to AI safety principles has earned it industry respect, but it has also cost the company access to the massive defense contract market. Meanwhile, competitor OpenAI has taken a markedly different path — proactively adjusting its policies to embrace military collaboration.

Accelerating AI Militarization Sparks Broad Debate

The Pentagon's move sends a clear signal: the United States is going full speed ahead in integrating cutting-edge AI technology into its defense systems. Against the backdrop of increasingly intense U.S.-China tech competition, AI is viewed as a key variable that will determine future military superiority.

However, the large-scale militarization of AI technology has also triggered extensive ethical discussions. Proponents argue that deploying the most advanced AI to defense networks enhances national security capabilities and decision-making efficiency. Critics worry that once commercial AI companies become deeply tied to military interests, the direction of technological development may diverge from the public interest and could even escalate the risk of a global arms race.

Notably, Google withdrew from the Pentagon's "Project Maven" in 2018 following strong internal employee opposition. Google's reappearance on the defense AI collaboration list now reflects a profound shift in the entire tech industry's attitude toward military partnerships.

Outlook: The Tug-of-War Between AI Safety and Defense Needs Will Continue

The Pentagon's contracts with seven AI giants mark the beginning of an entirely new phase for artificial intelligence applications in defense. For Anthropic, being left out represents both a commercial loss and a potential stress test for its "safety-first" brand positioning — will it continue to uphold its principles, or make compromises under competitive market pressure?

It is foreseeable that the tension between AI safety ideals and practical defense requirements will become one of the most closely watched issues at the intersection of technology and geopolitics in the years ahead. And this list itself will profoundly influence the competitive landscape and developmental trajectory of the global AI industry.