Microsoft has backed a legal challenge by AI startup Anthropic against a decision by the United States Department of Defense to classify the firm as a supply-chain risk.
In a filing submitted to a federal court in San Francisco, according to Reuters, Microsoft asked the court to temporarily block the Pentagon’s designation while the case is being considered.
The software giant submitted an amicus brief supporting Anthropic’s request for a temporary restraining order, arguing that the decision could cause disruption for companies that rely on the startup’s technology to deliver services to the US government.
Anthropic, the developer of the AI model Claude, filed its lawsuit earlier this week in an attempt to stop the Pentagon from placing the company on a national security blacklist.
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Microsoft said it would be directly affected by the decision because it integrates Anthropic’s AI products into technology used by the US military.
In its filing, the company said that if the designation takes effect without a pause, government contractors could be forced to quickly redesign systems that depend on Anthropic’s technology.
The Pentagon has allowed itself six months to phase out the startup’s products, but Microsoft said contractors have not been given the same transition period to adapt their services.
The company warned that this could force contractors working on government projects to reassess risks and change business plans at short notice.
Microsoft also argued that granting a temporary restraining order would provide time for discussions on a longer-term solution while maintaining access to advanced AI technologies for government operations.
Microsoft is not alone in its support of Anthropic, with a separate group of 37 researchers and engineers from OpenAI and Google have also submitted a legal brief supporting Anthropic’s position.
In a statement released last week, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said: “Anthropic has much more in common with the Department of War than we have differences.
“We both are committed to advancing US national security and defending the American people, and agree on the urgency of applying AI across the government.”
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