Judge Says Trump Administration Lacks Sufficient Evidence Regarding Anthropic

The dispute between Anthropic, one of the leading AI companies in the U.S., and the Department of Defense was reviewed in a court hearing. According to Bloomberg and Axios, the judge stated that the Donald Trump administration failed to provide sufficient evidence to label the company a “supply chain risk” and ban the use of its technology. This was reported by Techcrunch.com reported by.

This conflict arose following the breakdown of negotiations between Anthropic and the Pentagon. Anthropic stated that it does not want its AI models to be used for mass surveillance of Americans or for targeting and strike decisions involving lethal weapons. The company emphasized that such technologies are not yet fully ready.

Causes of the conflict between the parties

The Pentagon argued that a private company cannot dictate how the military uses technology, stating that they are used within legal frameworks. The government also claimed that Anthropic's public criticism of the Department of Defense justified the ban.

U.S. District Judge Rita Lin called the government's logic “very troubling.” In her view, such an approach could set a precedent for retaliation against federal contractors who disagree with the administration.

Court proceedings and next steps

The Department of Defense also claimed that Anthropic could disable or modify its AI models during military operations. However, experts noted that such assumptions lack any evidence. Judge Lin also confirmed that she saw no proof that the delivered model could be altered or that any kill switch could be activated.

Thursday's court hearing took place as part of one of two lawsuits filed by Anthropic against the Department of Defense in March. This lawsuit challenges the ban and the risk designation. The second case is being reviewed in Washington.

It is reported that Judge Rita Lin, who temporarily halted the ban in March, is now considering making the injunction permanent.