Altman Tells Staff OpenAI Has No Say Over Pentagon Decisions

OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman told employees that the company doesn’t get to make the call about what the Defense Department does with its artificial intelligence software and suggested the desire to do so may have been part of tensions between the Pentagon and rival Anthropic PBC.

During an all-hands meeting on Tuesday, Altman said the Defense Department made clear it will listen to OpenAI’s expertise about the technology’s applications but the federal agency does not want the company to express opinions about whether certain military actions were good or bad ideas, according to a person familiar with the matter. “You do not get to make ...