White House meets AI firm Anthropic amid political tensions, Pentagon dispute

By Fox News · Fox News

One month after President Donald Trump ordered a government-wide halt on artificial intelligence firm Anthropic’s technology following a clash with the Pentagon, the company’s CEO is back at the White House for high-level talks — as officials reconsider whether a system they sidelined over national security and political concerns may be too important to ignore. A source familiar with the meeting told Fox News White House chief of staff Susie Wiles met with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei Friday. Anthropic’s new artificial intelligence model, Mythos Preview, is considered so advanced that the company has restricted its release, limiting access to a small group of partners over concerns about potential misuse. The meeting signals a rapid reversal inside the Trump administration, as officials weigh whether a system previously flagged as a national security risk could also be critical to defending U.S. infrastructure — exposing a growing internal tension over how to handle powerful AI tools with both defensive and offensive potential. The talks come despite a recent clash inside the Trump administration, as officials reconsider a company the Pentagon flagged as a supply chain risk. Its ties to former Biden officials and past criticism of Trump by its CEO have added a political dimension to the debate over whether its technology should return to government use. MADURO RAID QUESTIONS TRIGGER PENTAGON REVIEW OF TOP AI FIRM AS POTENTIAL ‘SUPPLY CHAIN RISK’ That potential and the risks that come with it already have triggered tensions inside the U.S. government. The meeting comes after a sharp break between Anthropic and the Pentagon earlier in 2026. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth designated the company a national security "supply chain risk," effectively cutting it out of military systems and barring contractors from using its technology. Anthropic is now challenging the designation in court, after filing multiple lawsuits against the Pentagon and other federal agencies arguing…