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Trump says Anthropic is shaping up and a deal is 'possible' for Department of Defense use

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Why This Matters

The potential collaboration between Anthropic and the Department of Defense signals a significant shift in the adoption of advanced AI technologies for national security. This development highlights the growing importance of AI in defense applications and the evolving regulatory landscape, impacting both industry innovation and government security policies.

Key Takeaways

President Donald Trump on Tuesday told CNBC that "it's possible" there will be a deal allowing Anthropic's artificial intelligence models to be used within the Department of Defense.

"They came to the White House a few days ago, and we had some very good talks with them, and I think they're shaping up," Trump said during an interview with CNBC's "Squawk Box." "They're very smart, and I think they can be of great use."

Trump's comments land after a high-profile clash between the Pentagon and Anthropic spilled into public view earlier this year.

The DOD declared Anthropic a supply chain risk in March, meaning that use of the company's technology purportedly threatens U.S. national security. The label requires defense contractors to certify that they don't use Anthropic's Claude AI models in their work with the military.

Trump also ordered all federal agencies to "IMMEDIATELY CEASE all use of Anthropic's technology" in a Truth Social post, adding that his administration would "not do business with them again."

The Pentagon has continued to use Claude during the war in Iran.

Anthropic later sued the Trump administration in San Francisco and Washington, D.C. to try and reverse its blacklisting, and Trump's social media directive has been temporarily blocked by a federal judge.

But tensions between the two camps appear to be easing, especially after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei met with senior administration officials to talk about the company's powerful new Mythos model on Friday.

White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent were present for the discussion, which a White House spokesperson described as "productive and constructive."