Anthropic and Pentagon clash over lethal AI weapons use after disagreement on hypothetical nuclear strike scenario, February 2026

The hypothetical nuclear attack that escalated the Pentagon’s showdown with Anthropic

Democracy Dies in DarknessStart-up Anthropic and the U.S. military are careening toward a clash over government use of artificial intelligence — and whether it should be allowed to kill.February 27, 2026 at 5:00 a.m. ESTToday at 5:00 a.m. EST(Washington Post illustration; Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post; Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto/Getty Images; Alex Brandon/AP)As a standoff between artificial intelligence firm Anthropic and the Pentagon deepened this week, the two sides offered starkly differe...