Vitalik vs. Pentagon: AI Crisis!

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Ethereum’s Vitalik Buterin backs Anthropic as the Pentagon threatens Claude access over autonomous weapons and mass surveillance limits.

The Pentagon wants Claude. No guardrails. No exceptions. And Anthropic has until Friday to decide. Because nothing says “trust us” like a government demanding your AI model without any restrictions. Just hand it over, or face the consequences. Which, in this case, might involve a very angry general with a clipboard.

The Department of Defense handed Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei a hard deadline, according to The Guardian. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Anthropic executives on Tuesday. The message was clear. Comply or face consequences. Which, in Larry David terms, is like being told to eat a whole cake or be banned from the party.

Axios first reported that the DoD threatened to invoke the Defense Production Act. It also floated labeling Anthropic a “supply chain risk” if the company refuses unfettered Claude access by the end of the week. Because nothing says “we’re serious” like calling a company a “risk” and threatening to yank their funding.

Must Read: Vitalik Unveils Ethereum’s New DeFi Vision: Permissionless, Private, Secure. Because nothing says “trust us” like a blockchain guy promising privacy while the government tries to steal his AI.

Vitalik Enters the Fight Nobody Expected

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin stepped into the dispute publicly. He posted his position on X, directly tagging Dario Amodei. Buterin said it would “significantly increase” his opinion of Anthropic if the company holds its ground and “honorably eats the consequences.” Which is like saying, “If you get smacked down, I’ll respect you more than a vegan at a steakhouse.”

His post called Anthropic’s current position “very conservative and limited.” The company has drawn two hard lines. No fully autonomous weapons. No mass surveillance of Americans. Buterin said those restrictions are not even anti-military by nature. Which is like saying, “If you don’t want to kill people, you’re not a real soldier.”

As Vitalik Buterin wrote on X, his view is that fully autonomous weapons and mass privacy violations are things “we all want less of.” He added that in an ideal world, anyone working on those programs would access the same open-weights models as everyone else, and nothing more. He acknowledged the world will never reach that ideal but said even getting 10% closer would be meaningful. Which is like saying, “If we could stop all wars, that’d be great. But maybe just 10% less war is enough for now.”

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The Contract at Stake Is Not Small

The DoD struck deals with Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI back in July last year. Those contracts ran up to $200 million each. Until this week, Claude was the only AI model cleared for use in classified military systems. That changed on Monday. The Pentagon signed a new deal allowing Elon Musk’s xAI chatbot into classified systems. Because nothing says “trust us” like letting a guy who thinks he’s a superhero run the AI.

Both xAI and OpenAI reportedly agreed to the government’s terms. A defense official said OpenAI allowed its model for “all lawful purposes.” OpenAI did not immediately comment. Probably because they’re too busy counting their $200 million.

The Pentagon’s chief technology officer, Emil Michael, has publicly pushed Anthropic to act. As Michael told Defense Scoop, those guardrails “ought to be tuned” for government use cases, as long as they stay lawful. He called it “crossing the Rubicon.” Which is just a fancy way of saying, “We’re in deep trouble.”

A Broader Line Is Being Drawn Here

This dispute lands inside a longer political tension. Anthropic backed a PAC pushing for stronger AI safety rules. Amodei opposed Trump during the 2024 campaign. The company hired former Biden staffers. A pro-Trump VC firm pulled out of an Anthropic investment earlier this year over exactly those ties. Because nothing says “we’re not biased” like a VC firm pulling out over political views.

The DoD has poured billions into AI-enabled military tech. Unmanned drones. Automated targeting. The Ukraine conflict showed where this leads. Semiautonomous drones already operate without human control on real battlefields. These debates stopped being theoretical. Which is like saying, “We’re no longer talking about hypotheticals-we’re talking about real, terrifying tech.”

Firefly Social also surfaced, reporting citing Axios on the Defense Production Act threat. The ultimatum is real. Because nothing says “we’re serious” like a government threatening to label a company a “risk” and demanding compliance.

Also worth checking: OpenClaw Bans All Crypto Talk in Its Discord. Because nothing says “community” like silencing your members.

Friday is the deadline. Anthropic has not publicly backed down. Buterin’s post on X still stands. So, the question is: Will Anthropic stand their ground, or will they cave like a bad joke at a comedy club?

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2026-02-25 19:55