WASHINGTON, April 21 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday told CNBC that AI giant Anthropic was “shaping up” in the eyes of his administration and he was open to a deal to allow the firm to resume contracting with defense officials.
Trump in February directed federal agencies to blacklist Anthropic from procurement projects, alleging its new “Mythos” system was a supply chain risk. The company disputes that characterization and filed suit against the Defense Department in March over the determination.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei met with White House officials last week to attempt to repair the relationship. The White House called the meeting productive and constructive.
“They came to the White House a few days ago, and we had some very good talks with them,” Trump told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Tuesday. “And I think they’re shaping up. They’re very smart, and I think they can be of great use. I like smart people.”
(Reporting by Jacob Bogage;Editing by David Ljunggren)
