Trump Blocks AI Company Anthropic; Microsoft Intervenes in Legal Battle
Tensions are escalating between the United States government and artificial intelligence company Anthropic following President Donald Trump’s directive to federal agencies to cease using Anthropic’s technology. Tech giant Microsoft has now entered the fray by filing legal documents to defend the creator of AI assistant Claude in court.
Microsoft submitted an amicus brief to support Anthropic’s lawsuit against the Trump administration. In the filing, Microsoft has requested that the court suspend the Pentagon’s decision designating the makers of the Claude AI chatbot as a “supply chain risk.”
Through an amicus brief, third parties can present views or information to judges to help courts understand the broader impact of a case. However, the party filing such a document does not become a direct party to the litigation.
Microsoft has intervened because it has direct interests at stake regarding Anthropic’s future. The two companies have recently expanded their technology partnership, including plans to integrate the Claude AI model into Microsoft 365 Copilot.
The partnership also includes substantial investment from the Windows operating system maker into Anthropic, with reported values reaching billions of dollars.
In this matter, Microsoft contends that the Pentagon’s decision regarding Anthropic could have widespread implications for the technology industry.
In documents filed with the federal court in California, Microsoft warned that implementing this policy directly could trigger negative consequences for the technology sector as a whole.
Microsoft further argued that the sudden implementation of the decision could disrupt technology projects currently underway, including partnerships with government contractors that utilise Anthropic’s technology.
The company cautioned that abrupt changes to product configurations and contracts could impede the use of advanced AI in various government operations, including the defence sector.
A Microsoft spokesperson stated that all parties actually share the same objective: ensuring that AI technology is used responsibly.