Did US military use Anthropic's Claude during Venezuela raid to capture Maduro?

In line with artificial intelligence's (AI) integration into various sectors, the US military reportedly received help from Anthropic's AI model, Claude during the operation to capture former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The revelation has been made by the Wall Street Journal, noting that Claude's deployment took place through a partnership between Anthropic and data firm Palantir Technologies, whose platforms are often used by the Defence Department and federal law enforcement agencies.

Role of AI in military operations

The Pentagon is also said to be actively urging leading AI companies, including OpenAI and Anthropic, to make their tools accessible on classified networks, and without the restrictions that are typically imposed on users.

As of now, many firms are developing custom AI tools for the U.S. military, and most of these tools are available only on unclassified networks used for administrative purposes.

It should be noted that Anthropic is the only company providing access to its AI for classified purposes through third parties, although under strict usage policies.

AI usage policies and constraints for military

Anthropic's usage policies—established after raising $30 billion in its latest funding round after which its total valuation reached $380bn—prohibit the use of Claude for activities that support violence, design weapons, or conduct surveillance.

The operation to capture Maduro in early January has been described as audacious, followed by his immediate transfer to New York to face drug-trafficking charges.

That being the case, use of AI in such high-stakes operations shows the role of technology in modern military strategies.