OpenAI's Pentagon deal is 'definitely rushed,' admits Sam Altman
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman just revealed a new partnership with the US Department of Defense to bring their AI models onto the Pentagon's classified network.
The news dropped right after Anthropic's talks with the military fell through.
Altman emphasized that the DoD respected OpenAI's core rules—no domestic mass surveillance and keeping humans in charge of force, including banning autonomous weapons.
Still, he openly called the deal "definitely rushed" and admitted, "the optics don't look good."
Altman says they added extra layers of safety
Altman says OpenAI added extra layers of safety: things like cloud-only deployment, oversight by cleared staff, and legal protections that OpenAI says go beyond what Anthropic had offered.
Importantly, OpenAI says their tech can't be used directly in weapons or sensors—so, the company says, no killer robots.
Altman has faced criticism on other fronts
Sam Altman is the CEO of OpenAI but isn't a stranger to drama.
He has also faced criticism on other fronts.