Appeals court judges appear to be divided over Pentagon’s legal dispute with AI company Anthropic

A panel of appellate judges appeared to be divided on Tuesday over a legal dispute between the Pentagon and technology company Anthropic, which claims Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth unlawfully and falsely branded it as a national security risk for raising ethical and safety concerns about AI usage in war.

Three judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit didn’t indicate how soon they would rule on Anthropic’s appeal, but some of their questions and remarks hinted at how they might decide the case.