Claude AI to process secret government data through new Palantir deal:
Anthropic has announced a partnership with Palantir and Amazon Web Services to bring its Claude AI models to unspecified US intelligence and defense agencies. Claude, a family of AI language models similar to those that power ChatGPT, will work within Palantir's platform using AWS hosting to process and analyze data. But some critics have called out the deal as contradictory to Anthropic's widely-publicized "AI safety" aims.
On X, former Google co-head of AI ethics Timnit Gebruwrote of Anthropic's new deal with Palantir, "Look at how they care so much about 'existential risks to humanity.'"
The partnership makes Claude available within Palantir's Impact Level 6 environment (IL6), a defense-accredited system that handles data critical to national security up to the "secret" classification level. This move follows a broader trend of AI companies seeking defense contracts, with Meta offering its Llama models to defense partners and OpenAI pursuing closer ties with the Defense Department.
In a press release, the companies outlined three main tasks for Claude in defense and intelligence settings: performing operations on large volumes of complex data at high speeds, identifying patterns and trends within that data, and streamlining document review and preparation.
While the partnership announcement suggests broad potential for AI-powered intelligence analysis, it states that human officials will retain their decision-making authority in these operations. As a reference point for the technology's capabilities, Palantir reported that one (unnamed) American insurance company used 78 AI agents powered by their platform and Claude to reduce an underwriting process from two weeks to three hours.
The new collaboration builds on Anthropic's earlier integration of Claude into AWS GovCloud, a service built for government cloud computing. Anthropic, which recently began operations in Europe, has been seeking funding at a valuation up to $40 billion. The company has raised $7.6 billion, with Amazon as its primary investor.
Since its founders started Anthropic in 2021, the company has marketed itself as one that takes an ethics- and safety-focused approach to AI development. The company differentiates itself from competitors like OpenAI by adopting what it calls responsible development practices and self-imposed ethical constraints on its models, such as its "Constitutional AI" system.
[...] Aside from the implications of working with defense and intelligence agencies, the deal connects Anthropic with Palantir, a controversial company which recently won a $480 million contract to develop an AI-powered target identification system called Maven Smart System for the US Army. Project Maven has sparked criticism within the tech sector over military applications of AI technology.
[...] Even if Claude is never used to target a human or as part of a weapons system, other issues remain. While its Claude models are highly regarded in the AI community, they (like all LLMs) have the tendency to confabulate, potentially generating incorrect information in a way that is difficult to detect.
(Score: 5, Informative) by PiMuNu on Monday November 11, @09:45AM (4 children)
The same Palantir who will soon be processing all UK NHS data.
(Score: 2) by Unixnut on Monday November 11, @04:40PM
Once they have piped all personal and private data, all secret gov data and everything else they can think of, they can give the AI models the nuclear launch codes and autonomous drone/dog/squirrel/etc... killbot control so we can finally have the Skynet some people seem so keen on creating on this earth.
(Score: 2) by OrugTor on Monday November 11, @05:00PM
Since the Evil Ones will be using AI regardless I'm happy they picked an "ethical" AI rather than some hallucinating pattern-matcher trained on garbage.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 11, @06:16PM (1 child)
The same Palantir run by Peter Thiel.
The same Peter Thiel that got JD Vance his job.
So much for getting rid of the deep state.
Did anyone think he would keep his campaign promises?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by PiMuNu on Tuesday November 12, @11:33AM
How interesting. Maybe the (UK) Labour will then block Palantir's takeover of NHS (given that they are pretty anti-Trump).
ps: quick google:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2024/07/16/jd-vance-and-peter-thiel-what-to-know-about-the-relationship-between-trumps-vp-pick-and-the-billionaire/ [forbes.com]
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/jd-vance-silicon-valley-peter-thiel-musk-trump-b2581739.html [independent.co.uk]
(Score: 4, Informative) by hendrikboom on Monday November 11, @08:10PM (4 children)
A palantÃr is one of several indestructible crystal balls from J. R. R. Tolkien's epic-fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. -- Wikipedia
Just what we all needed: an AI that cannot be destroyed if it turns out to be harmful.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by j-beda on Monday November 11, @08:29PM
Just what I was thinking: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palant%C3%ADr [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by PiMuNu on Tuesday November 12, @11:35AM (2 children)
ps: they were used by Sauron to corrupt and drive Denethor and Saruman to madness and ultimately their destruction.
(Score: 3, Funny) by hendrikboom on Tuesday November 12, @06:33PM (1 child)
Yes. The power of a social network!
(Score: 2) by PiMuNu on Wednesday November 13, @01:05PM
Aww Sauron didn't 'like' my post about sending Boromir to Rivendell. And now he's posting that his orcs are better than my Tower Guard!