OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told employees that the company does not have the authority to decide how the Department of Defense uses its artificial intelligence (AI) software, suggesting that this intention to interfere with the way it is used may be part of the reason for the tension between the Pentagon and Anthropic PBC.
According to a person familiar with the matter, Altman said at an all-staff meeting on Tuesday that the U.S. Department of Defense has made it clear that it will listen to OpenAI’s professional opinions on technology applications, but does not want the company to express opinions on the quality of certain military operations. "You don't have the authority to make operational decisions," Altman said, the person said.
OpenAI declined to comment.
OpenAI reached an agreement with the Pentagon late Friday night to allow the Pentagon to deploy the company's AI models in classified networks. The meeting was Altman's first opportunity to answer questions from employees. Previously, the Pentagon had a dispute with OpenAI competitor Anthropic, which demanded that its technology not be used for mass surveillance of the American people or the deployment of fully autonomous weapons.
Altman has said that his agreement with the Department of Defense embodies OpenAI's principles, including prohibiting mass surveillance in the United States and holding humans accountable for the use of force, including autonomous weapons systems. He later said that the agreement reached by OpenAI was rushed and said that the company was working with the Department of Defense to "add some provisions to the agreement to clarify our principles." Those principles include ensuring that AI is not used to conduct surveillance on U.S. citizens and that intelligence agencies such as the National Security Agency cannot rely on OpenAI’s services.
During the all-staff meeting, Altman also said he would continue to push the Defense Department to drop designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk — a label that has never before been applied to a U.S. company and is typically reserved for U.S. adversaries. Altman has said he hopes to help ease the impasse between the Pentagon and Anthropic.