A rare "cross-company" collective action has erupted in the field of artificial intelligence in the United States. Over 30 employees from OpenAI and Google DeepMind recently submitted a joint statement to the court, publicly supporting Anthropic's lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).

The list of signatories includes several prominent figures in the industry, such as Jeff Dean, the chief scientist at Google DeepMind. The letter states that the Pentagon's decision to place Anthropic on a "supply chain risk" list is arbitrary and inappropriate use of power, which will have a deep and negative impact on the safety standards of the entire AI industry.

Previously, Anthropic was labeled a "supply chain risk" by the Pentagon because it refused to allow the Department of Defense to use its AI technology for mass surveillance or autonomous firing weapon systems. The military, however, maintains that private contractors should not impose technical restrictions as long as the usage is within legal boundaries.

The employees' representative emphasized in the document that if the military is dissatisfied with the contract terms, it can directly terminate the cooperation, rather than penalizing using labels typically reserved for "foreign adversaries."

The statement warns that this administrative measure could hinder the technology community from having open discussions about AI risks and might even weaken the United States' global competitiveness in the AI field.

Notably, while imposing sanctions on Anthropic, the Department of Defense quickly reached a new partnership agreement with OpenAI. This move also sparked protests within OpenAI, with some employees concerned that military testing without consensus could undermine the security defenses established by the industry over time.

This lawsuit is not just a dispute between a company and the government, but also marks a highly intensified struggle between Silicon Valley elites and military power over the ethical boundaries of AI.