Anthropic has announced it secured a court order blocking a Trump administration ban on the government using its AI technology, after the Claude chatbot creator argued that the ban could lead to billions in revenue loss.
US District Judge Rita F. Lin issued a preliminary injunction on Thursday, pausing the administration’s plan to sever all ties with Anthropic while a legal fight unfolds in San Francisco federal court.
The ruling follows the startup’s request for assurances that its AI wouldn’t be used for mass surveillance of Americans or for deploying autonomous weapons.
The company sued earlier this month to block a Defense Department declaration that Anthropic posed a threat to the US supply chain, escalating a high-stakes dispute over safeguards for AI technology used by the military.
US District Judge Rita F. Lin questioned the rationale for the ban, saying it didn’t appear to be directed at national security interests.
“If the concern is the integrity of the operational chain of command, the Department of War could just stop using Claude. Instead, these measures appear designed to punish Anthropic.” Such a move, “is classic illegal First Amendment retaliation,” she said.
By CEO NA Editorial Staff
