FCC Chairman Brendan Carr testifies before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government at the Rayburn House Office Building on May 21, 2025 in Washington, DC.
John McDonnell | Getty Images
Anthropic “made a mistake” in its dealings with the Department of Defense, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr told CNBC on Tuesday after the US government blacklisted the AI firm.
Anthropic was in tense negotiations with the Pentagon over the terms of its contract. The startup has asked for assurances that its technology will not be used for fully autonomous weapons or domestic mass surveillance of Americans. The DoD wanted Anthropic to agree to allow the military to use the models in all legitimate use cases.
Negotiations broke down last week and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said the company “cannot in good conscience” allow the use of its models under these conditions.
“I think it (Anthropic) probably got it wrong,” the FCC’s Carr told CNBC. “The rules of the road that apply to every piece of technology the War Department contracts are clear.”
President Donald Trump later ordered every US government agency to “immediately stop” using Anthropics’ technology. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stepped up pressure on Anthropic, labeling it a “supply-chain threat to national security.” The designation means that no contractor working with the Pentagon can do business with Anthropic.
Asked by CNBC if the door was still open for Anthropic to work with the US government, the FCC said the car company should “try to course-correct as best they can.”
“He was given a lot of off ramps … a lot of opportunities to find a good landing spot, and he decided not to do that and that’s a mistake for him,” Carr added.
Anthropic was not immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC.
On Friday, Anthropic said it was “saddened” by the move to blacklist it, saying it was “both legally untenable and sets a dangerous precedent for any American company negotiating with the government.”
“We have tried in good faith to reach an agreement with the War Department, making it clear that we support all legitimate uses of AI for national security,” except mass domestic surveillance of Americans and fully autonomous weapons, Anthropic said.
Hours after Anthropic’s blacklisting, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said his company had agreed to terms with the Department of Defense regarding the use of its artificial intelligence models. On Monday, Altman said OpenAI “shouldn’t rush” into its deal with the Defense Department, saying it “seems opportunistic and sloppy.”
OpenAI outlined the revised terms of the agreement, including wording clarifying that “AI systems will not be used for the purposeful domestic surveillance of US individuals and nationals.”
– CNBC’s Ashley Caput and Dylan Butts contributed to this report.
(tags to be translated)US Department of Defense
