Pentagon Signs AI Deals With Seven Tech Giants, Excluding Anthropic Over Safety Dispute

The U.S. Department of Defense announced on May 1, 2026, that it has signed agreements with seven technology companies to deploy artificial intelligence tools in classified military networks.

The companies are SpaceX, OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, Amazon Web Services, and Reflection. Defense officials said the goal is to transform the military into an "AI-first fighting force."

Anthropic, one of the leading AI companies, was excluded from the deals. The Trump administration had blacklisted Anthropic after the company insisted on safety guardrails for government use of AI in warfare, including restrictions on autonomous weapons and mass surveillance.

Anthropic had previously sued the Trump administration over being labeled a "supply chain risk." Discussions between the White House and Anthropic reopened after the company announced new technology breakthroughs, including a cybersecurity tool called Mythos.

The Pentagon deals drew criticism from some quarters. Catholic thinkers said the military's AI demands violate "human dignity." OpenAI also restricted access to its Cyber AI product after initially criticizing Anthropic for limiting Mythos.

Microsoft announced the general availability of Agent 365, a platform to manage and secure AI agents across enterprise environments. The product addresses concerns about uncontrolled AI agent activity and potential misuse.

The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approved legislation requiring age verification for AI chatbots, reflecting growing concern about the impact of AI companions on young people. The MIT Technology Review identified AI companions as a breakthrough technology, noting that millions of people are forming close bonds with AI chatbots and that evidence of harm is mounting.

Google's CEO said 75% of new code at the company is now generated by AI, a figure that reflects how quickly AI coding tools have changed software development.