In a dramatic escalation, the Trump administration blacklisted AI firm Anthropic on February 27, 2026, designating it a "supply-chain risk to national security" after the company refused Pentagon demands to remove safeguards prohibiting mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous lethal weapons. President Trump ordered all federal agencies to immediately cease using Anthropic's technology, granting the Pentagon a six-month phase-out period for existing integrations.

Hours later, rival OpenAI announced a deal with the Department of Defense to deploy its models on classified networks, incorporating similar safety restrictions on surveillance and autonomous weapons. The move has sparked accusations of selective enforcement, with Anthropic vowing legal action while experts question the implications for AI governance in national defense. This clash highlights deepening tensions between Silicon Valley's ethical guardrails and military priorities.