‘Reached An Agreement’: Sam Altman Announces OpenAI Deal With US Amid Trump-Anthropic Fallout
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Last Updated:February 28, 2026, 09:26 IST
Sam Altman said OpenAI has reached an agreement to deploy its AI models on a classified US defence network with built-in safeguards.
resetRapid ReadRapid ReadSummarized by AI.+OpenAI to deploy AI models on US military's classified networkAgreement includes strict safety and operational safeguardsTrump bans Anthropic AI over military use dispute More Rapid Read Like this summary?Share Your Feedback
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on Saturday said the company has reached an agreement with the United States’ Department of War (DoW) to deploy its artificial intelligence models within a classified military network, outlining safety commitments and operational safeguards in a post on X.
“Tonight, we reached an agreement with the Department of War to deploy our models in their classified network," Altman wrote, adding that discussions with defence officials reflected alignment on responsible AI use.
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“In all of our interactions, the DoW displayed a deep respect for safety and a desire to partner to achieve the best possible outcome," he mentioned.
Altman emphasised that safety principles formed a core part of the agreement, particularly regarding military deployment of advanced AI systems.
“AI safety and wide distribution of benefits are the core of our mission," he wrote.
“Two of our most important safety principles are prohibitions on domestic mass surveillance and human responsibility for the use of force, including for autonomous weapon systems."
“The DoW agrees with these principles, reflects them in law and policy, and we put them into our agreement," he mentioned.
According to Altman, OpenAI will introduce technical mechanisms to ensure its models function within agreed boundaries during defence use.
He said deployments would occur only through cloud-based infrastructure and would include dedicated personnel overseeing implementation.
“We also will build technical safeguards to ensure our models behave as they should, which the DoW also wanted," Altman said.
“We will deploy FDEs to help with our models and to ensure their safety. We will deploy on cloud networks only."
He also urged the defence department to extend similar terms to other artificial intelligence companies, stating, “We are asking the DoW to offer these same terms to all AI companies, which in our opinion we think everyone should be willing to accept."
Altman added that OpenAI hopes tensions between governments and technology firms move toward negotiated solutions rather than confrontation.
“We have expressed our strong desire to see things de-escalate away from legal and governmental actions and towards reasonable agreements," he wrote.
Tonight, we reached an agreement with the Department of War to deploy our models in their classified network.In all of our interactions, the DoW displayed a deep respect for safety and a desire to partner to achieve the best possible outcome.
AI safety and wide distribution of…
— Sam Altman (@sama) February 28, 2026
US GOVERNMENT’S CLASH WITH ANTHROPIC
Altman’s post comes as the Trump administration intensified a public dispute with AI company Anthropic over military use of artificial intelligence systems.
Donald Trump ordered all federal agencies to immediately stop using Anthropic technology, accusing the company of attempting to interfere with how the US military operates.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said, “The United States of America will never allow a radical left, woke company to dictate how our great military fights and wins wars!"
He directed agencies to begin a six-month phase-out period for existing systems and warned of potential civil and criminal consequences if the company did not cooperate.
The administration’s move followed Anthropic’s refusal to remove safeguards that limited how its AI tools could be used by the military.
The company had sought assurances that its chatbot would not be used for domestic mass surveillance or fully autonomous weapons.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and other officials accused Anthropic of jeopardising national security by restricting access, while the company said it would challenge what it called an unprecedented and legally unsound action.
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