Sam Altman’s OpenAI signs deal with US DoW, after Trump warns officials against using Anthropic AI

AI tech firm OpenAI has confirmed a deal with the Donald Trump administration to deploy its models for the classified network of the Department of War. The agreement comes amid Trump’s warning to US officials over using Anthropic AI’s tech. Open AI CEO Sam Altman took to X to announce the deal: “Tonight, we reached an agreement with the Department of War to deploy our models in their classified network. In all of our interactions, the DoW displayed a deep respect for safety and a desire to partner to achieve the best possible outcome.” > Tonight, we reached an agreement with the Department of War to deploy our models in their classified network. In all of our interactions, the DoW displayed a deep respect for safety and a desire to partner to achieve the best possible outcome. AI safety and wide distribution of… — Sam Altman (@sama) February 28, 2026 Tonight, we reached an agreement with the Department of War to deploy our models in their classified network. In all of our interactions, the DoW displayed a deep respect for safety and a desire to partner to achieve the best possible outcome. AI safety and wide distribution of… — Sam Altman (@sama) February 28, 2026 Highlighting the company’s adherence to safety protocols, one of Trump’s major concerns, Altman said: “AI safety and wide distribution of benefits are the core of our mission. 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. The DoW agrees with these principles, reflects them in law and policy, and we put them into our agreement.” “We also will build technical safeguards to ensure our models behave as they should, which the DoW also wanted. We will deploy FDEs to help with our models and to ensure their safety, we will deploy on cloud networks only,” he said. Altman said OpenAI has asked the DoW to offer the same terms to all AI companies. “We have expressed our strong desire to see things de-escalate away from legal and governmental actions and towards reasonable agreements,” he said. “We remain committed to serve all of humanity as best we can. The world is a complicated, messy, and sometimes dangerous place,” the OpenAI CEO added. ## What Trump warned his officials about Anthropic Trump on Friday announced that he would instruct all federal departments and agencies to stop the use of technology developed by AI firm Anthropic, after negotiations between the company and the Pentagon collapsed. Writing on Truth Social just before a government-imposed deadline lapsed, Trump said federal bodies would “IMMEDIATELY CEASE” using Anthropic’s tools. He accused the company of attempting to force the Defence Department to operate under its own terms of service. “We will decide the fate of our Country – NOT some out-of-control, Radical Left AI company,” Trump said in the post. Following the missed deadline, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said he had ordered the Pentagon to categorise Anthropic as a national security supply-chain risk — a designation typically reserved for concerns involving foreign adversaries. In a post on X, Hegseth criticised the company’s conduct, saying it had demonstrated “arrogance and betrayal” and mishandled its dealings with the US government. He added that, with immediate effect, any contractor, supplier or partner working with the US military would be barred from engaging in commercial activity with Anthropic. The Express Global Desk at The Indian Express delivers authoritative, verified, and context-driven coverage of key international developments shaping global politics, policy, and migration trends. 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