The New Coffee Room

Can you summarize for those who have no account?

I could do no better than that summary.

Get out your popcorn.

An interesting question is why the DoD doesn't just go with Xai. I guess Claude really is better.

Ha. I remember that now.

Trump has been musing about 'nationalizing' the election (though only in certain states, so really taking it over in blue states). He has specifically said that if Congress won't do it, he'll do it by EO.

Now this. Hopefully the courts can save us.

Ok, so let’s leave the legality to the future lawyers since it depends on actual use.

For tomorrow’s deadline, they’re insisting that Anthropic NOT NOT provide a certain capability. Which is different than insisting they DO provide that same capability. In fact, the latter is dishonest tribal rhetoric.

Ok, I’m learning. Don’t give up on me yet.

So they’re not insisting that the company provide the capability, they’re insisting that they not NOT provide the capability.

Ok glad we’ve cleared that up.

Shame on me for the tortured framing.

@Horace said in Hegseth to Anthropic: Nice company you got there…:

The Pentagon's demand is that Anthropic agree to "all lawful use" without the company imposing its own additional restrictions.

So they are insisting that they provide the capability? You explicitly said otherwise a few posts back.

I think the people would be happy if we took the mullahs out. The problem is the IRG would still run the place. I don't know what it would take to get rid of them, and whether/how it could be done without a full-on Iraqi-style occupation which I doubt there's much stomach for in the Whitehouse or the country as a whole.

@Horace said in Hegseth to Anthropic: Nice company you got there…:

@jon-nyc said in Hegseth to Anthropic: Nice company you got there…:
Another framing would be that the DoD refuses to delegate authority to Anthropic to decide what is or is not ethical or illegal.

If you're right, then Anthropic can just write a letter saying they take no position on the legality and ethics of mass surveillance of US citizens and the matter is solved.

After all (according to you) the DoD has not demanded that they provide the capability.

They would be the first to tell you that Congress decided it was illegal. The only thing Anthropic decided was to withhold the capability.

Hegseth is threatening them for having done that. That is 100% true.

It’s insisting they provide the capability. There is no framing which renders the former sentence untrue.

Use of the capability is illegal.

I don't know that we've ever had a SecDef threatening a company over providing the capability given that it's illegal to implement. That part isn't age-old and should be concerning in itself.

Everyone aware of what’s going on here?

Anthropic won’t allow its AI to be used in mass domestic surveillance or to make kill decisions. The first for ethical and legal reasons the later because they don’t fully trust the model yet given hallucinations and don’t want one to be lethal (so I guess that’s also an ethical reason of sorts).

Hegseth is giving them until Friday to change their mind or he’ll either:

1. Declare them a ‘supply chain risk’ (which is what they did with Huwawei routers) which would mean they are ineligible for government contracts at any level of government, or

2. Invoke the wartime production act and force them.

I should add it’s illegal for the pentagon to conduct mass surveillance domestically.

We got a fresh dusting yesterday but it got to 40 later and melted that new inch off my sidewalk without me shoveling.

They say alcohol won’t solve your problems.

As if water will. At least alcohol tries.

Punxsutawny Phil was sentenced to 6 weeks community service in Rhode Island.

It should be nice and quick to get a UK passport. It’s not like thousands are in your position making summer plans.