On March 4, 2026, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated in an employee meeting that the company has no authority to decide how the U.S. Department of Defense uses its AI software. The Defense Department will listen to OpenAI's professional opinions on technological applications but will not involve the company in military operation decisions. Previously, OpenAI reached an agreement with the Pentagon to allow its AI models to be deployed in classified networks, a move that sparked criticism from employees. Altman acknowledged that the agreement was hasty and said the company is working with the Defense Department to supplement terms, explicitly prohibiting the use of AI for domestic surveillance, among other things. He also stated that he will continue to push the Defense Department to revoke its designation of 'supply chain risk' for Anthropic.
