Microsoft publicly sided with Anthropic in the company’s lawsuit and asked a federal court to temporarily block the Department of Defense’s designation of Anthropic as a “supply chain risk.”
On March 10 (local time), CNBC reported that Microsoft filed an amicus brief in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco, urging the judge to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) to pause the DoD’s action.
Microsoft warned the designation, if put into immediate effect, could disrupt the U.S. military’s use of artificial intelligence. “Absent a temporary order, Microsoft and other government contractors would be forced to immediately change existing products and contractual arrangements,” the company said, adding that such disruptions “could affect U.S. military operations at a critical time.”
Microsoft also said it supplies defense-related solutions that rely on Anthropic’s technology and would therefore be directly impacted.
Last week, the Department of Defense named Anthropic a supply chain risk and banned the use of the company’s AI models on military projects. Anthropic filed suit on March 9, calling the government’s action “unprecedented and illegal.”
Microsoft argued a court-ordered pause would give both sides time to negotiate. In a separate statement, the company said the Defense Department must have reliable access to leading technologies, while also ensuring AI is not used for mass domestic surveillance or for warfare without meaningful human control.
Other tech companies have weighed in on Anthropic’s legal challenge. The day before, 37 researchers and engineers affiliated with OpenAI and Google filed a brief supporting Anthropic.
Chan Park, Reporter cpark@aitimes.com
