Anthropic and the Dilemma of the AI Industry: "Safety First" Supposedly — Who Cornered Anthropic?

Anthropic and the Dilemma of the AI Industry: "Safety First" Supposedly — Who Cornered Anthropic?

1) "Refusing Company" Treated as a "National Security Risk"—Outline of the Incident

On a Friday afternoon, the worst news hit Anthropic. Reports emerged that the U.S. administration was severing ties with the company and excluding it from defense-related deals. The catalyst was said to be CEO Dario Amodei's refusal to comply with demands that would pave the way for "mass surveillance of U.S. citizens" and "fully autonomous weapons capable of selecting and killing targets without human intervention." As a result, contracts worth up to $200 million were jeopardized, and there was a risk of being unable to work with other defense-related companies.


The complexity of this situation lies in the fact that it doesn't end as merely a "contract dispute between the government and a private company." When an AI is suddenly labeled as "dangerous" or a "threat to the supply chain," it causes a ripple effect, stifling not only the company in question but also its surrounding supply chain and partner companies.

DefenseScoop also points out that such a hardline stance could cast a chill over the entire frontier AI industry.


2) TechCrunch Highlights a "Pitfall": The Government Isn't the Only Enemy

What makes the TechCrunch article interesting is that it doesn't simply divide the issue into "the government is tyrannical/the company is right." Instead, it borrows the perspective of Max Tegmark, an MIT physicist and founder of the Future of Life Institute, to pose a more painful question.

Why was there no "law" to stop such situations from the beginning?

Tegmark's answer is harsh. Although Anthropic has touted "safety first," the industry as a whole has not supported "binding regulations," instead insisting, "Trust us, we'll do it voluntarily," and has kept regulations at bay, including through lobbying. As a result, while there are regulations for food safety, there are none for AI—creating a situation where, to use an extreme analogy, "AI is less regulated than a sandwich."


This is where the article's title, "The Trap Anthropic Built for Itself," becomes relevant. Even if you set an "ethical red line" by refusing mass surveillance and autonomous weapons, without a legal foundation to support it, the moment the other party (government or client) takes a strong stance, you fall through.


"If it's not prohibited by law, it might be demanded"—this reality has surfaced in the most vivid form now.


3) Further Irony: The Safety Banner and "History of Cooperation"

In the article, Tegmark also touches on the point that Anthropic has been cooperating with defense and intelligence agencies (suggesting at least as far back as 2024), pointing out the gap between its brand and reality.

 
This point is most likely to ignite on social media. This is because public opinion tends to understand things as either "completely clean idealists" or "ultimately the same kind."


In fact, reactions on social media were split in two.

  • Praise Side: "It's important to say NO to surveillance and autonomous killing," "It's wrong to punish a company that maintains its boundaries."

  • Criticism Side: "If they partnered with defense while claiming safety first, why play the victim now?" "It's just the consequence of avoiding regulation."


This "binary opposition" itself complicates the discussion of AI governance. Reality is often gray, with companies swaying between ideals and business, and governments swaying between security and citizens' freedoms. But controversy doesn't allow for gray.


4) Counterattack on the "To Beat China" Argument—And the Redefinition of "National Security"

Another core of the article is the "losing to China" argument. It's a common phrase often brought up when opposing regulation.


In response, Tegmark cites an example that "China is moving to ban humanoid/anthropomorphized AI (such as AI partners)," arguing that "they are not developing anything without limits." Furthermore, he frames the issue by stating that superintelligence that cannot be controlled could threaten the governance of one's own government before it threatens an enemy nation, thus making superintelligence a national security threat rather than an asset.


This perspective easily resonates on social media. It's not a simple axis of "promotion or regulation," but a logic of "if it can't be controlled, it's a threat even if it's an ally." In fact, while using the same word "security," the government uses it as a basis for "exclusion," and Tegmark uses it as a basis for the "danger of accelerated development."


Reaching opposite conclusions with the same word. This is where the fear of political language in the AI era lies.


5) "Solidarity" and "Riding the Wave" Accelerated by Social Media

What makes this incident feel like a "social media era event" is that reactions are beginning to flow back into decision-making.


(1) Open Letter by Employees
According to TechCrunch, employees of Google and OpenAI signed an open letter supporting Anthropic's red line (rejection of mass surveillance and fully autonomous weapons) and calling for the same boundaries at their own companies. The letter also quotes phrases like "trying to divide us with fear."


(2) Posts by Influential Figures
The same article introduces a post by Google's Jeff Dean on X, stating that "mass surveillance violates the Fourth Amendment and has a chilling effect on freedom of expression."

 
Such "individual expressions" are more likely to spread than official corporate statements, ultimately creating the "industry atmosphere."


(3) Ironic "Product Effect"
Furthermore, TechCrunch reports that following the commotion, the ranking of the Claude app rose to No. 2 on the U.S. App Store (also touching on ranking trend data). The controversy boosted the service's exposure—a result typical of the social media economic sphere, for better or worse.

6) Is OpenAI's "Same Line" Declaration Genuine?

Complicating matters further, OpenAI announced an agreement with the Department of Defense, explaining that it included safety principles banning "mass surveillance and autonomous killing." The Guardian reports that Sam Altman stated similar principles on X and also said, "I hope the same conditions will be offered to other AI companies."


Here, social media reactions are again divided.

  • Positive: "If competitors draw the same line, the government's 'divide and conquer strategy' won't work."

  • Skeptical: "'Having clauses' and 'being protected in practice' are different," "In the end, they just went for the market."


Tegmark's proposal to "release after independent verification like clinical trials" is precisely an answer to this distrust. Not promises, but verification. Not goodwill, but systems.

7) What Will Happen Next: AI Governance Shifts from "Corporate Ethics" to "System Design"

The reality highlighted by this commotion is that AI safety cannot be protected by "each company's philosophy" alone. Philosophies can change. They can be retracted by management decisions. If the administration changes, the premises of contracts can also change. As TechCrunch points out, the context of companies loosening their own safety pledges also amplifies suspicion.


Therefore, the focus must shift from "Is Anthropic good or bad?" to "What should be legally bound, what should be independently audited, and where should transparency be placed?"


This incident may signal that the deadline for the homework the AI industry has long postponed—"getting through with self-regulation"—has expired.


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