The Digester

OpenAI and Google researchers file amicus brief backing Anthropic against Pentagon blacklist

Mar 9th 2026

Over 30 researchers from OpenAI and Google, including Jeff Dean, filed a personal amicus brief supporting Anthropic's legal challenge to the Pentagon's 'supply-chain risk' designation, saying the move harms competitiveness and stifles debate.

  • More than 30 current employees at OpenAI and Google filed an amicus brief supporting Anthropic's motion for a temporary restraining order.
  • The brief was filed hours after Anthropic sued the Department of Defense and other federal agencies over a 'supply-chain risk' designation that limits its work with military contractors.
  • Signatories include Google DeepMind chief scientist Jeff Dean and several DeepMind and OpenAI researchers who signed in a personal capacity.
  • The brief argues the Pentagon's designation undermines U.S. industrial and scientific competitiveness and chills professional debate on frontier AI.
  • It says Anthropic's requested red lines, including bans on mass domestic surveillance and autonomous lethal weapons, are legitimate safeguards.
  • OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and other AI leaders publicly criticized the designation, and OpenAI has since signed its own contract with the U.S. military.

Sources

wired.com