Crypto Today: OpenAI-Pentagon Deal, Anthropic, Morgan Stanley
Key developments today included U.S. government actions affecting Anthropic and OpenAI, alongside Morgan Stanley’s application for a national trust bank charter to provide digital asset services.
Anthropic CEO calls Pentagon decision “unprecedented”
Dario Amodei, CEO of AI firm Anthropic, responded to a Friday announcement by U.S. officials designating the company a “supply chain risk.” Anthropic has collaborated with the U.S. Department of Defense and supported all proposed AI use cases except fully autonomous weapons systems and mass domestic surveillance.
“These are things that are fundamental to Americans: the right, not to be spied on by the government, the right for our military officers to make decisions about war, themselves, and not turn it over completely to a machine,” he told CBS News.
The Anthropic CEO responds to the announcement from US officials. Source: CBS News
The announcement by U.S. “Secretary of War” Pete Hegseth, followed by news that rival OpenAI had secured a Defense Department contract to deploy its models, prompted significant criticism online.
OpenAI secures Defense Department contract hours after government halts use of Anthropic tech
OpenAI reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense to deploy its artificial intelligence models on classified military networks, hours after the White House ordered federal agencies to cease using Anthropic technology.
In a late Friday post on X, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced the arrangement, stating the company would provide its models within the Pentagon’s “classified network.” He added that the department demonstrated “deep respect for safety” and a readiness to operate within the company’s limits.
Earlier the same day, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth labeled Anthropic a “Supply-Chain Risk to National Security,” a designation usually applied to foreign adversaries. The designation requires defense contractors to certify they are not using Anthropic’s models.
Source: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
President Donald Trump also directed all U.S. federal agencies to immediately stop using Anthropic technology, with a six-month transition window for agencies currently dependent on its systems.
Morgan Stanley seeks OCC national trust bank charter to provide crypto custody
Morgan Stanley has applied for a de novo national trust bank charter that would allow it to hold digital assets for clients, aligning with the firm’s recent expansion into crypto services.
A public filing with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) shows the application, submitted under “Morgan Stanley Digital Trust, National Association,” was received on Feb. 18.
Source: Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
Additional details released Friday, according to Bloomberg and Forbes, indicate the Morgan Stanley subsidiary plans to custody certain digital assets and facilitate purchases, sales, swaps and transfers to support client investment activities, as well as offer crypto staking.
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