The Anthropic Dispute: Government Authority in the Age of AI with Alan Rozenshtein

A standoff between the Pentagon and one of the world’s leading AI companies is raising new questions about the limits of government authority. This week, Elisa sits down with Alan Rozenshtein, Associate Professor of Law at the University of Minnesota and Research Director at Lawfare, to unpack the dispute between the Department of War and Anthropic over the use of advanced AI tools. Together, they explore whether existing law can compel technology companies to cooperate with national security demands and what the Defense Production Act might mean in the age of artificial intelligence.

Alan Rozenshteinis an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Minnesota and Research Director at Lawfare

References:

• Endrias, Michael, and Alan Z. Rozenshtein. “Pentagon’s Anthropic Designation Won’t Survive First Contact with Legal System.” Lawfare, 2 Mar. 2026.
• The Defense Production Act
• DoD Directive 3000.09, “Autonomy in Weapon Systems,” November 21, 2012
• E.O. 14365, "Ensuring a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence"
• 10 US Code 3252
• IEEPA
• NSLT, Ep. 392, "Empire AI: OpenAI’s Rise and the Race for Global Power with Karen Hao"
• NSLT, Ep. 399, "Crash, Bailout, or Breakthrough? The Future of America’s AI Bet"