Trending Now - Openai Revises Pentagon Agreement Following Criticism
WHO:
OpenAI, a San Francisco-based startup
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI
US Department of War (DoW)
National Security Agency (NSA)
Anthropic, a previous AI contractor for the Pentagon
Donald Trump, President of the United States
Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense
796 Google employees and 98 OpenAI staff who signed an open letter
Miles Brundage, former head of policy research at OpenAI
WHAT:
OpenAI is amending its deal to supply AI to the US DoW.
The original contract was criticized for being "opportunistic and sloppy."
OpenAI will explicitly prohibit the use of its technology for domestic mass surveillance and by defense department intelligence agencies.
The deal was made after Anthropic was dropped as the Pentagon's AI contractor.
A backlash against OpenAI led to a "delete ChatGPT" campaign on social media.
OpenAI's contract was said to have "more guardrails than any previous agreement for classified AI deployments."
An open letter was signed by 894 employees (796 from Google and 98 from OpenAI) urging their companies to refuse the DoW's demands for surveillance and autonomous killing.
Trump ordered all US government agencies to phase out the use of Anthropic's technology.
WHERE:
San Francisco, California (OpenAI's location)
United States (general context of the actions and agreements)
WHEN:
The deal was announced on Friday, March 1, 2026.
Sam Altman admitted the deal looked "opportunistic and sloppy" on Monday night, March 2, 2026.
The backlash and online campaigns occurred shortly after the deal announcement.
WHY:
Concerns arose that OpenAI's AI could be used for domestic mass surveillance, similar to the NSA's actions revealed in the Snowden scandal of 2013.
The urgency to amend the deal was prompted by criticism from employees and the public.
HOW:
OpenAI's CEO communicated the need for clearer communication regarding the deal through a message on X (formerly Twitter).
The company stated it would not allow its technology to be used for directing autonomous weapons systems.
OpenAI, based in San Francisco, has announced an amendment to its deal with the US Department of War, following backlash over concerns that its AI technology could be used for domestic mass surveillance. CEO Sam Altman acknowledged the original contract's shortcomings, describing it as "opportunistic and sloppy," and emphasized that the revised agreement will prohibit the use of its technology for surveillance and autonomous weapons systems. This decision comes after a significant online campaign, including an open letter signed by 894 employees from Google and OpenAI, urging their companies to reject demands for surveillance and autonomous killing.