Katy Perry Shows Support for Anthropic as It Faces US Government Ban Over Refusal to Lift Security Policy

When American singer‑songwriter Katy Perry posted a screenshot of herself subscribing to Claude Pro, fans said it was a highly visible show of support for Anthropic, the artificial intelligence firm now locked in a bitter standoff with the US government.

The move follows a dramatic decision by the Trump administration to ban Anthropic's technology from all federal use after the company refused Pentagon demands to remove safety restrictions on its AI, Claude.

Katy Perry's Political Stance

But in a way, it is also Perry's way of saying she remains a democrat. She was a notable supporter of Hillary Clinton in the 2016 US presidential election against Trump, even performing at the Democratic National Convention and campaigning alongside her. She argued that Clinton inspired her and that people were becoming more politically engaged.

Perry has spoken about using her influence to encourage voting and civic participation rather than staying silent. More recently, she has urged followers to contact lawmakers to oppose increased funding for federal agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), showing her interest in social justice issues.

She also endorsed Vice‑President Kamala Harris in 2024, emphasising issues like women's rights and her daughter's future. While she has at times called for unity across political differences — urging respect for family members with opposing views — her overall political identity is associated with progressive or liberal causes.

Anthropic vs the Pentagon

Anthropic, a leading AI developer best known for its large language model Claude, has distinguished itself in recent years by emphasising safety and ethical guardrails in its systems. Those safeguards include restrictions on using Claude for mass domestic surveillance or in fully autonomous weapons systems. These uses, the company argues, are incompatible with democratic norms and the current state of AI technology.

The conflict boiled over in late February after the Pentagon insisted it must have 'all lawful use' access to Claude, which could potentially extend to these controversial applications. When Anthropic's chief executive, Dario Amodei, made clear the company could not drop these protections 'in good conscience,' the standoff turned into a confrontation with national authorities.

President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth moved swiftly. In a Truth Social post, Trump ordered all federal agencies to stop using Anthropic's technology. The US President also threatened the firm's standing in government contracts and accused it of prioritising ideology over national security.

Hegseth went further, designating Anthropic a 'supply‑chain risk to national security,' a label typically reserved for foreign competitors. This move not only jeopardises Anthropic's existing government business, which includes a Pentagon contract originally worth up to £160 million ($200 million). But it also sets up a potential legal battle, with the company pledging to challenge the decision in court.

OpenAI Steps In

The ban has prompted an unlikely coalition of tech leaders and public figures to voice concern. Sam Altman, CEO of Anthropic's rival OpenAI, publicly acknowledged that he shared some of Anthropic's 'red lines' on military AI use, even as his company moved ahead with a separate Pentagon agreement. Employees from OpenAI and Google also signed open letters backing Anthropic's stance on safety and ethics.

Jeff Dean, Google's Chief Scientist, made his agreement with Anthropic known on X. He replied to an account saying, 'As an American citizen, the last thing I want is government using AI for mass surveillance of Americans.'