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OpenAI, DeepMind Employees Back Anthropic in Pentagon Dispute
More than 30 researchers and engineers from OpenAI and Google DeepMind have filed a statement supporting Anthropic in its legal fight with the U.S. military after the company was labelled a supply-chain risk by the United States Department of Defense.
The statement, submitted in court filings on Monday, argues that the government’s designation was an improper and arbitrary use of power with serious implications for the artificial intelligence industry.
Among the signatories is Jeff Dean, chief scientist at Google DeepMind.
The Pentagon applied the supply-chain risk designation after Anthropic refused to allow its AI technology to be used for mass surveillance of Americans or autonomous weapons, according to people familiar with the matter.
In the filing, the employees argued that if the Defense Department was dissatisfied with its contract terms, it could have terminated the agreement and chosen another provider rather than blacklisting the company.
The brief was submitted shortly after Anthropic filed lawsuits against the Pentagon and other federal agencies over the designation.
The Defense Department signed a separate agreement with OpenAI shortly after labelling Anthropic a supply-chain risk, a move that reportedly drew criticism from some employees at the ChatGPT maker.
“If allowed to proceed, this effort to punish one of the leading U.S. AI companies will undoubtedly have consequences for America’s scientific competitiveness in artificial intelligence,” the filing said.
The statement also defended Anthropic’s restrictions on the military use of its systems, arguing that such guardrails are essential safeguards in the absence of clear public laws governing AI deployment
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