OpenAI strikes Pentagon deal with safety guardrails amid Anthropic clash

OpenAI reached a deal with the Pentagon to provide its AI technologies for classified U.S. government work, including safeguards to prevent domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons. The move follows a failed negotiation with rival Anthropic and comes as Trump pressures agencies to reassess AI use. OpenAI will embed some staff with government teams on classified projects and implement technical guardrails. Implementation may depend on AWS access, with OpenAI recently partnering with Amazon; Google and xAI also have Pentagon contracts in the broader landscape.