California's Governor Just Told the Pentagon to Back Off Its Favorite AI Company

Here's a story that sounds like a movie plot but is 100% real: The U.S. Department of Defense blacklisted Anthropic, one of the biggest AI companies in the world, because the company refused to let the military use its AI for mass surveillance and fully autonomous weapons.

Yes, you read that right. An AI company said "no" to the Pentagon, and the Pentagon basically tried to shut them out of all military contracts.

Now California's Governor Gavin Newsom has stepped in with an executive order that essentially says: "We'll decide for ourselves who we do business with, thanks." The order means California will review any federal blacklisting of tech companies and make its own call.

But it's not all about defending AI companies. The same order also puts new guardrails on how California's government uses AI, including protections against discrimination, surveillance, and even AI-generated child abuse material.

A judge has already issued a temporary block on the Pentagon's blacklisting of Anthropic. But the bigger question is wild: should AI companies be forced to build weapons if the government asks? Anthropic clearly thinks the answer is no.

As reported by CalMatters.

Source: CalMatters