OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, said on Friday that it had reached an agreement with the Pentagon to provide its artificial intelligence technologies for classified systems, just hours after President Trump ordered federal agencies to stop using A.I. technology made by rival Anthropic. Under the deal, OpenAI agreed to let the Pentagon use its A.I. systems for any lawful purpose. The San Francisco company also said it had found a way to ensure that its technologies would not be applied for domestic surveillance in the United States or with autonomous weapons by installing specific technical guardrails on its systems. "In all of our interactions, the DoW displayed a deep respect for safety and a desire to partner to achieve the best possible outcome," Sam Altman, OpenAI's chief executive, said in a social media post, using the initials for the Department of War, the administration's preferred name for the Department of Defense. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/technology/openai-agreement-pentagon-ai.html Accessed: 28 February 2026 at 0330 MST

The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The deal appeared to be a business and political coup for OpenAI, taking advantage of a rival's troubles. Anthropic, which competes with OpenAI, had battled the Pentagon in recent weeks over how its A.I. could be used. In negotiations over a $200 million contract, the Pentagon had demanded that it be able to use Anthropic's A.I. system for all lawful purposes, or it would cut the company off from government business. But Anthropic said it needed terms that would ensure that its A.I. technology would not be used for domestic surveillance of Americans or for autonomous lethal weapons. The Pentagon, in turn, said a private contractor could not decide how its tools would be used for national security. Their disagreement erupted into public view this month and escalated as both dug in their heels. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/technology/openai-agreement-pentagon-ai.html Accessed: 28 February 2026 at 0330 MST

Anthropic and the Pentagon failed to agree on terms by a 5:01 p.m. deadline on Friday. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth then designated Anthropic a "supply-chain risk to national security," a label that cuts the A.I. company off from business with the U.S. government. Mr. Trump also weighed in, calling the start-up a "radical Left AI company." Amid the maelstrom, OpenAI stepped in. This week, Mr. Altman publicly backed Anthropic's position that A.I. should not be used for domestic surveillance or autonomous weapons. On CNBC on Friday, he said he mostly trusted Anthropic and that "they really do care about safety." At the same time, Mr. Altman engaged in talks with the Pentagon, starting on Wednesday, over a deal for its technology, said two people familiar with the discussions who spoke on the condition of anonymity. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/technology/openai-agreement-pentagon-ai.html Accessed: 28 February 2026 at 0330 MST

Mr. Altman negotiated with the Department of Defense in a different way from Anthropic, agreeing to the use of OpenAl's technology for all lawful purposes. Along the way, he also negotiated the right to put safeguards into OpenAI's technologies that would prevent its systems from being used in ways that it did not want them to be. OpenAI "will build technical safeguards to ensure our models behave as they should, which the DoW also wanted," Mr. Altman said. These moves allowed Mr. Altman to uphold safety principles around A.I. while still landing the Pentagon contract. He added that the Pentagon had agreed to have some OpenAI employees work alongside government personnel on classified projects to "to help with our models and to ensure their safety." Anthropic did not respond to a request for comment on OpenAl's deal. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/technology/openai-agreement-pentagon-ai.html Accessed: 28 February 2026 at 0330 MST

OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, said on Friday that it had reached an agreement with the Pentagon to provide its artificial intelligence technologies for classified systems, just hours after President Trump ordered federal agencies to stop using A.I. technology made by rival Anthropic. Under the deal, OpenAI agreed to let the Pentagon use its A.I. systems for any lawful purpose. The San Francisco company also said it had found a way to ensure that its technologies would not be applied for domestic surveillance in the United States or with autonomous weapons by installing specific technical guardrails on its systems. "In all of our interactions, the DoW displayed a deep respect for safety and a desire to partner to achieve the best possible outcome," Sam Altman, OpenAI's chief executive, said in a social media post, using the initials for the Department of War, the administration's preferred name for the Department of Defense. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/technology/openai-agreement-pentagon-ai.html Accessed: 28 February 2026 at 0330 MST

The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The deal appeared to be a business and political coup for OpenAI, taking advantage of a rival's troubles. Anthropic, which competes with OpenAI, had battled the Pentagon in recent weeks over how its A.I. could be used. In negotiations over a $200 million contract, the Pentagon had demanded that it be able to use Anthropic's A.I. system for all lawful purposes, or it would cut the company off from government business. But Anthropic said it needed terms that would ensure that its A.I. technology would not be used for domestic surveillance of Americans or for autonomous lethal weapons. The Pentagon, in turn, said a private contractor could not decide how its tools would be used for national security. Their disagreement erupted into public view this month and escalated as both dug in their heels. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/technology/openai-agreement-pentagon-ai.html Accessed: 28 February 2026 at 0330 MST

Anthropic and the Pentagon failed to agree on terms by a 5:01 p.m. deadline on Friday. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth then designated Anthropic a "supply-chain risk to national security," a label that cuts the A.I. company off from business with the U.S. government. Mr. Trump also weighed in, calling the start-up a "radical Left AI company." Amid the maelstrom, OpenAI stepped in. This week, Mr. Altman publicly backed Anthropic's position that A.I. should not be used for domestic surveillance or autonomous weapons. On CNBC on Friday, he said he mostly trusted Anthropic and that "they really do care about safety." At the same time, Mr. Altman engaged in talks with the Pentagon, starting on Wednesday, over a deal for its technology, said two people familiar with the discussions who spoke on the condition of anonymity. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/technology/openai-agreement-pentagon-ai.html Accessed: 28 February 2026 at 0330 MST

Mr. Altman negotiated with the Department of Defense in a different way from Anthropic, agreeing to the use of OpenAl's technology for all lawful purposes. Along the way, he also negotiated the right to put safeguards into OpenAI's technologies that would prevent its systems from being used in ways that it did not want them to be. OpenAI "will build technical safeguards to ensure our models behave as they should, which the DoW also wanted," Mr. Altman said. These moves allowed Mr. Altman to uphold safety principles around A.I. while still landing the Pentagon contract. He added that the Pentagon had agreed to have some OpenAI employees work alongside government personnel on classified projects to "to help with our models and to ensure their safety." Anthropic did not respond to a request for comment on OpenAl's deal. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/technology/openai-agreement-pentagon-ai.html Accessed: 28 February 2026 at 0330 MST