Private sector, former military leaders urge Congress intervene in Pentagon-Anthropic dispute

Over 30 former military officers and individuals working in tech sent a letter to congressional leadership expressing concern over the Pentagon-Anthropic dispute and asking for lawmakers to take action to reign in executive power and set AI guardrails.

A coalition of professionals across multiple sectors signed a letter March 5, urging Congress to investigate multiple facets of the ongoing fallout between the Department of Defense and Anthropic, including the designation of the company as a supply chain risk and the ramifications of using artificial intelligence for domestic surveillance and autonomous lethal weapons.

The 35 signatories — consisting of former military officials, industry advocates and private sector leaders — are asking congressional leadership to take action following the Pentagon’s retaliation against Anthropic after the company refused to relax its safety guardrails for agency use. 

The letter, addressed to Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Jack Reed, D-R.I., as well as Reps. Mike ...