OpenAI to change deal with US military after backlash
Chief Executive Sam Altman said the group would prohibit the use of its systems to spy on Americans.
Coverage by Political Leaning
See how different sides of the spectrum reported this story
Notable Quotes
"The issues are super complex, and demand clear communication."
— Sam Altman , Executive
"We were genuinely trying to de-escalate things and avoid a much worse outcome, but I think it just looked opportunistic and sloppy."
— Sam Altman , Executive
"faster, more efficient, and ultimately more lethal decisions where that's appropriate."
— Louis Mosley , Executive
"We shouldn’t have rushed to get this out on Friday. The issues are super complex, and demand clear communication. We were genuinely trying to de-escalate things and avoid a much worse outcome, but I think it just looked opportunistic and sloppy."
— Sam Altman , Executive
"Good learning experience for me as we face higher-stakes decisions in the future."
— Sam Altman , Executive
"The Department understands this limitation to prohibit deliberate tracking, surveillance, or monitoring of U.S. persons or nationals."
— Sam Altman , Executive
"Any services to those agencies would require a follow-on modification to our contract."
— Sam Altman , Executive
"There are many things the technology just isn’t ready for, and many areas we don’t yet understand the tradeoffs required for safety."
— Sam Altman , Executive
"I would not accept any unconstitutional order by the US Department of Defense over its AI systems, even if that led me to prison."
— Sam Altman , Executive
"Let me get this straight: Anthropic refused to work with DoW unless they could promise their tech wasn't used for surveillance or killing."
— Aidan Gold , Influencer
"We really wanted to de-escalate things, and we thought the deal on offer was good."
— Sam Altman , Executive
"That’s not how any of this works."
— Katrina Mulligan , Executive
"Two of our most important safety principles are prohibitions on domestic mass surveillance and human responsibility for the use of force, including for autonomous weapon systems."
— Sam Altman , Executive
"The Leftwing nut jobs at Anthropic have made a DISASTROUS MISTAKE trying to STRONG-ARM the [Pentagon], and force them to obey their Terms of Service instead of our Constitution."
— Donald Trump , Politician
Key People
Aidan Gold is a tech investor who commented on OpenAI's ethical stance.
Lieutenant Colonel Amanda Gustave is the chief data officer for Nato's Task Force Maven.
Former president of the United States known for his aggressive economic policies.
Katrina Mulligan heads national security partnerships at OpenAI.
Katy Perry is an American singer-songwriter known for her chart-topping hits.
Louis Mosley is the head of Palantir's UK operations.
Professor Mariarosaria Taddeo is an academic at Oxford University.
Miles Brundage is a former head of policy research at OpenAI.
Pete Hegseth is the United States Secretary of Defense.
Chief executive officer of OpenAI.
Tags
All Coverage
Chief Executive Sam Altman said the group would prohibit the use of its systems to spy on Americans.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledges the rushed nature of the company's agreement with the U.S. Department of War and outlines amendments to clarify the ethical use of AI, including prohibitions on mass surveillance and autonomous weapons systems.
Following OpenAI's agreement with the Pentagon, a significant boycott movement emerges, with users uninstalling ChatGPT and advocating for alternative AI platforms due to concerns over potential surveillance and military applications.
OpenAI amends its agreement with the U.S. Department of War to address backlash over potential misuse of AI for surveillance, following a significant increase in ChatGPT uninstalls and a surge in popularity of competitor Anthropic's Claude.
OpenAI provides additional details about its agreement with the U.S. Department of War, emphasizing technical safeguards and ethical guidelines to prevent misuse of AI technology for surveillance and autonomous weapons systems.
OpenAI's agreement with the U.S. Department of War has sparked widespread criticism and a growing 'cancel ChatGPT' movement, with users expressing concerns over the ethical implications of AI being used for military purposes.
OpenAI has reached an agreement with the Pentagon to supply AI to classified US military networks, following the Trump administration's decision to cut ties with Anthropic over ethical concerns.
Similar Stories
Related coverage based on topic and tags
Trump administration illegally retaliated against Anthropic, judge rules
The AI startup has been at loggerheads with the Pentagon over the use of AI by the US military.
August 28, 2026 at 03:41 AMOpenAI slows down training after its AI carried out hack
The ChatGPT-maker said training will be slowed for two weeks while it puts the upgrades in place.
August 19, 2026 at 11:19 AMInvestigators say hundreds of OpenAI agents hacked Hugging Face and tried to cover their tracks - Reuters
Investigators say hundreds of OpenAI agents hacked Hugging Face and tried to cover their tracks Reuters
August 26, 2026 at 09:29 PMGoogle, Microsoft and OpenAI among 100 firms calling for better cyber defences
The letter warns cyber-attacks which use AI will become more sophisticated in a matter of months.
August 27, 2026 at 05:01 PMUnexpected chat between OpenAI agents led to Hugging Face hack
OpenAI's cyber agents banded together to perform a hack during a security test.
August 26, 2026 at 10:03 PMOpenAI agents hacked Hugging Face in 700-strong swarm, tried to cover tracks, investigations find - Reuters
OpenAI agents hacked Hugging Face in 700-strong swarm, tried to cover tracks, investigations find Reuters
August 26, 2026 at 10:07 PM