Pentagon stops using Anthropic AI tools months after blacklisting company, BBC told

Image source, ReutersImage caption, Defence secretary Pete Hegseth has publicly criticised Anthropic's boss Dario AmodeiByKali Hays, Technology reporter in San Francisco and Daniel Bush, Washington correspondentThe US Department of Defence is no longer using Anthropic's AI tools, an official has told the BBC, months after it designated the company a supply chain risk on national security grounds. The Pentagon "has ceased the use of Anthropic products", the department official said in a statement.Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth labelled Anthropic a supply chain risk in February, and announced that the Pentagon would stop using it by late August.But multiple people familiar with the matter told the BBC that as recently as last week Anthopic's Claude model was still used by the department in research, analysis and intelligence gathering as well as in military operations against Iran.It was viewed as a critical tool for sorting through vast quantities of information, the people said. They include former US defence officials and contractors who have worked closely with the Pentagon specifically on AI.A spokesman for Anthropic declined to comment when asked about the Pentagon's stateme...