Sam Altman navigates Anthropic's Pentagon fight as OpenAI pursues its own deal with the military

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman

Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has carefully weighed in on the fight between Anthropic and the Pentagon.
• He said AI companies need to work with the military, but doesn't think they should be compelled.
• Anthropic says it won't budge on two "red lines" — mass surveillance and fully autonomous weapons.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman gingerly waded into the conflict between Anthropic and the Pentagon on Friday.

"The government, the Pentagon, needs AI models.