In a significant development, the U.S. military employed Anthropic’s AI tool, Claude, during the operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro. This operation marks an important stride in the application of artificial intelligence in military contexts.
Last month, U.S. special operations forces successfully apprehended Maduro along with his wife, both of whom are now facing serious narcotics charges in the United States.
Claude was utilized through Anthropic’s collaboration with data enterprise Palantir Technologies, whose tools are extensively relied upon by the Defense Department and federal law enforcement. This information comes from a report by The Wall Street Journal, which cited sources familiar with the operation.
In response to inquiries, an Anthropic spokesperson stated, “We cannot comment on whether Claude, or any other AI model, was used for any specific operation, classified or otherwise. Any deployment of Claude—be it in the private sector or within government entities—must adhere to our Usage Policies, which govern the appropriate applications of Claude. We closely collaborate with our partners to ensure compliance.”
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Anthropic’s guidelines explicitly forbid the use of Claude for violent actions, weapons creation, or surveillance purposes.
A source familiar with the situation informed Fox News Digital that Anthropic has oversight of both classified and unclassified applications and is confident that all uses have aligned with its usage policies and those of its partners.
When contacted by Fox News Digital, the Department of War chose not to provide a comment.
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According to the Journal, Anthropic was the first AI model developer engaged in classified operations by the Department of War.
The use of Claude has raised alarms regarding its application by the Pentagon. This prompted officials in the Trump administration to contemplate terminating Anthropic’s contract, which could be worth up to $200 million, awarded the previous summer, as reported.
The AI tools are versatile, capable of tasks ranging from summarizing documents to controlling autonomous drones, according to the outlet.
The Trump administration has placed a strong emphasis on AI development. In December, War Secretary Pete Hegseth proclaimed, “The future of American warfare is here, and it’s spelled AI.”
“As technologies advance, so do our adversaries,” he asserted. “However, at the War Department, we are not remaining passive.”
