Anthropic Sues Trump Administration Over Defense Department Blacklisting

The artificial intelligence company Anthropic is suing the Trump administration after the Department of War blacklisted the firm, making its products ineligible for defense contractors. A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., heard arguments Tuesday from the Department of War and Anthropic following the blacklisting, according to CNBC.

Anthropic did not want its technology used for fully autonomous weapons or domestic mass surveillance. The Pentagon continued to use the company’s AI model Claude for military operations during the Iran war, the outlet reported. A Pentagon official confirmed during a Senate subcommittee hearing in late March that the Department of War was using Claude amid the Iran war, The Hill reported.

The appeals court denied the company’s request to temporarily halt the designation in April but expedited the case, according to CNBC.

The Vatican announced Monday that Pope Leo XIV will issue an encyclical focused on preserving the human person in the age of artificial intelligence. The guidance is scheduled for release Monday, May 25, with a presentation that includes Christopher Olah as a speaker, according to Vatican News.

Olah posted on X that the questions posed by AI are bigger than the AI community and that religions, civil society, academics, and governments should participate in creating a positive outcome. The pope has previously stated that although models may be able to process information quickly, they cannot replace human intelligence, according to OSV News.

An April report from The Free Press claimed the Pentagon tried to influence the Vatican on the U.S. war against Iran, a claim denied by both parties. President Donald Trump later posted on Truth Social criticizing the pope before asking him to stay out of politics.

The pope responded that he has no fear of the Trump administration and will not shy away from announcing the message of the Gospel or seeking ways to avoid war.