Anthropic faces a new accusation: its workforce, not its AI

The government, in a court filing this week, highlighted concerns about Anthropic's use of foreign workers — including workers from China — according to Axios. The filing is part of the government's case for designating Anthropic a supply-chain risk, a designation Anthropic is challenging in federal court.

This argument is separate from the core dispute over guardrails against mass surveillance and autonomous weapons. The government's position now encompasses not just what Anthropic's AI does, but who builds it — and where those people come from.

The filing does not specify the nature or scale of the foreign workforce concerns. But the framing suggests the government is arguing that a company whose employees include nationals from countries of concern cannot be a trusted defense contractor, regardless of the model's capabilities or the company's stated policies.

Anthropic has not publicly responded to this specific argument. The company has previously said it maintains rigorous internal security practices and that its models are reviewed for safety before deployment.

The foreign workforce argument adds another layer to a case already notable for the government's assertion that Anthropic's ethical commitments — not just its technical properties — make it a security risk. The hearing before Judge Rita Lin is next Tuesday. Whatever she decides will determine whether the designation stands while the litigation proceeds.