The recent controversy between Anthropic, an artificial intelligence company, and the Trump Administration has sparked intense debate in the U.S. tech and political sectors. The conflict arose when Anthropic refused to allow its AI to be used for mass surveillance or the development of lethal autonomous weapons, known as 'killer robots.' In response, the White House canceled multimillion-dollar contracts with the Pentagon and banned the use of Anthropic's technology in the military and among its contractors. Anthropic was founded in 2021 as a spin-off from OpenAI, driven by differences over the ethical and technical direction of AI. Among its founders is Dario Amodei, the current CEO, who was previously a key figure in the development of ChatGPT. The conflict erupted before the U.S. and Israel's military intervention in Iran, when Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth rejected the ethical clauses that Amodei attempted to include in contracts with the military. Hegseth, known for his ultra-conservative stance, pushed to ban the use of Anthropic across the administration, citing a Cold War-era law. The White House declared Anthropic a risk to the supply chain and national security, giving the military six months to stop using Claude, the company's AI model. This decision affects not only direct contracts but also major tech companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Oracle, which integrate Claude into their services. While OpenAI and Google are more well-known in the consumer space, Claude has a strong presence in the corporate and government sectors, with a market share close to 40%. The measure has raised concerns in Silicon Valley, where legal teams have tried to limit the scope of the ban to military uses, allowing Anthropic to continue operating in the civilian sector. However, federal agencies like the Treasury and Health have already announced they will stop using Claude. The military now faces a period of uncertainty, as Claude is widely implemented and current alternatives are questionable. Grok, from xAI (Elon Musk), was recently authorized but has shown significant flaws, while OpenAI's model is not yet ready for military applications, although its CEO, Sam Altman, signed an agreement with the Pentagon on the same day the controversy erupted. Trump has controversially used legislation, as he did with tariffs, and Amodei has turned to the courts to challenge Anthropic's classification as a threat, arguing that the law was designed for foreign companies suspected of espionage. The decision has been criticized by both Democrats and Republicans, as well as military experts, who consider the use of AI in autonomous weapons premature. The head of robotics at OpenAI even resigned following the agreement with the Pentagon. The confrontation between Amodei and Trump transcends technology: for Trump, Anthropic represents "woke" AI, while OpenAI is seen as aligned with his agenda, having received a $25 million donation from its president. Although Amodei is presented as a defender of ethical AI, he has pushed for its accelerated development and, according to Time magazine, is one of the major architects of current AI. However, he has acknowledged that AI does not guarantee the promotion of democracy or peace and has admitted the possibility of accepting investments from countries like the UAE or Qatar, even if that benefits authoritarian regimes. In summary, the debate over ethics and power in AI remains open, with protagonists who, far from being exemplary, reflect the contradictions and dilemmas of the sector. (Source: publico.es)