London Mayor Invites Anthropic Amid US Government Dispute
London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has extended an invitation to San Francisco-based artificial intelligence (AI) developer Anthropic to expand its operations in London. This invitation comes as the company faces challenges with the US government, particularly following the Pentagon's designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk.
Sir Sadiq criticized the Trump administration's approach towards Anthropic, which arose after Anthropic's CEO, Dario Amodei, declined to grant US defense agencies unrestricted access to its AI tools.
Concerns Over Pentagon's Supply Chain Risk Designation
In a letter addressed to Dario Amodei, Sir Sadiq expressed his concern about the Pentagon's actions.
"It is extremely concerning to see this kind of behaviour, which is a clear attempt to intimidate and punish Anthropic for refusing to remove ethical safeguards," Sir Sadiq wrote.
Anthropic has announced plans to legally challenge the Pentagon's designation.
US Government Response and Company Discussions
When asked about the mayor's letter and offer, a White House spokesperson responded to the BBC, stating:
"As President Trump said, we will never allow a radical left, woke company to dictate how our United States Military fights wars".
The BBC has reached out to Anthropic for comment. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Mayor's office confirmed ongoing discussions this week with "senior leaders" of the company.
Anthropic's Concerns with Military Use of AI
During talks with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Amodei expressed reservations about the potential use of Anthropic's Claude AI model for mass domestic surveillance or autonomous military targeting.
The Pentagon maintains that the military must be able to use technology "for all lawful purposes" and has argued that the feared uses would violate the law and are not planned.
Trump's Directive and London's Offer of Support
Last week, US President Donald Trump announced he would instruct every federal agency to immediately cease using technology from Anthropic.
In response, Sir Sadiq praised Anthropic's stance and offered support:
"I applaud your steadfastness in the face of such pressure. [I]t would be good to discuss how we could support you to expand operations further."
He further added that London "could provide an even more significant location and platform for the future of Anthropic."
Potential Shift of Anthropic's Operations to London
Sir Sadiq's letter positions London as a viable alternative location for Anthropic as its relationship with the US government deteriorates.
The AI developer had been in negotiations with the Department of Defense; however, on Thursday, Under Secretary of Defense Emil Michael announced that talks had ended.
Michael wrote on X:
"I want to end all speculation: there is no active [Department of War] negotiation with [Anthropic]."
Note: The Department of War is a secondary name used by Trump to refer to the Department of Defense.
Implications of the Pentagon's Designation
The Pentagon's designation marks the first time a US company has been labelled a supply chain risk, indicating the government considers Anthropic insufficiently secure for its use.
When the Pentagon initially threatened this designation, insiders at Anthropic feared it might impact the company's business with partners who also work with the US government.
So far, those concerns appear to be unfounded.
Microsoft's Position on Anthropic Technology
On Thursday, technology giant Microsoft announced it would continue to integrate Anthropic's technology into products for its clients, with an exception for the US Department of Defense.
Microsoft stated to the BBC:
"Our lawyers have studied the designation and have concluded that Anthropic products, including Claude, can remain available to our customers."
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