Anthropic CEO apologizes after Pentagon labels AI lab 'supply-chain risk'

Anthropic Boss Dario Amodei has apologized in his first appearance on camera since the Pentagon blacklisted the AI lab as a "supply-chain risk" last week.

Amodei has accepted his fault, saying, "He is sorry,” in his exclusive interview with The Economist.

He reflected on the whole episode that culminated in the blacklisting by the Pentagon as one of the most “disorienting” in Anthropic history.

For background, President Donald Trump last week, just days before launching a military campaign against Iran, had ordered all federal government agencies to stop immediately the use of Anthropic’s technology.

The announcement comes after the company refused to strike a deal with the government over concerns its model could be used for domestic mass surveillance or fully autonomous weapons.

At the same time, he affirmed his resolve to challenge the decision in a court of law in an attempt to avoid the company's business fallout, which he described as a “chilling” impact.

While addressing the leaked memo, the Anthropic boss issued a statement on Thursday, March 6, stating, “I also want to apologize directly for a post internal to the company that was leaked to the press yesterday. Anthropic did not leak this post nor direct anyone else to do so—it's not in our interest to escalate this situation.”

Reflecting on his earlier comments, Amodei conceded: “It was a difficult day for the company, and I apologize for the tone of the post. It does not reflect my careful or considered views. It was also written six days ago and is an out-of-date assessment of the current situation.”

The interview conducted by The Economist editor-in-chief, Zanny Minton Beddoes will be aired today, March 6, at 6 p.m. GMT, the outlet has stated.