London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has extended an invitation to the San Francisco-based artificial intelligence (AI) company Anthropic to expand its operations in the city, while simultaneously criticizing the Trump administration for its actions against the firm.
In a letter addressed to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, Sir Sadiq expressed concern over the Pentagon’s recent designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk after Amodei declined to grant U.S. defense agencies unrestricted access to its AI technologies.
„It is extremely concerning to see this kind of behavior, which is a clear attempt to intimidate and punish Anthropic for refusing to remove ethical safeguards,“ Sir Sadiq stated.
In response to the Pentagon’s actions, Anthropic has announced plans to contest the designation in court.
A spokesperson from the Mayor’s office indicated that discussions had taken place this week with „senior leaders“ from Anthropic regarding the situation.
Sir Sadiq’s comments come after a meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, where Amodei expressed his concerns about the potential use of Anthropic’s Claude model for mass domestic surveillance or autonomous military operations.
The Pentagon has asserted that the military must utilize technology for all lawful purposes, arguing that the feared applications would not only violate legal standards but are not part of their plans.
Last week, US President Donald Trump announced that he would instruct all federal agencies to cease using technology developed by Anthropic. I applaud your steadfastness in the face of such pressure,“ Sir Khan wrote. „It would be good to discuss how we could support you to expand operations further.“
He emphasized that London could serve as a more significant location and platform for Anthropic’s future endeavors.
Sir Sadiq’s invitation may position London as an attractive alternative for Anthropic as the company’s relationship with the U.S. government continues to deteriorate.
Previously, Anthropic had been in negotiations with the Department of Defense, but Under Secretary of Defense Emil Michael announced on Thursday that those discussions had been terminated.
„I want to end all speculation: there is no active [Department of War] negotiation with [Anthropic],“ Michael stated on X.
The Pentagon’s designation marks the first instance of a U.S. company being labeled a supply chain risk, indicating that the government deems Anthropic insufficiently secure for its use.
When the Pentagon initially threatened this designation, insiders at Anthropic expressed concerns that it might adversely affect the company’s partnerships with entities that also engage with the U.S. government.
However, those concerns have not materialized as expected.
On Thursday, tech giant Microsoft confirmed its intention to continue integrating Anthropic technology into its products for clients, with the exception of the U.S. Department of Defense.
„Our lawyers have studied the designation and have concluded that Anthropic products, including Claude, can remain available to our customers,“ Microsoft stated in a press release.
As the landscape of AI technology continues to evolve, the implications of these developments remain to be seen.
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Quellen: bbc.co.uk
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