‘Opportunistic and sloppy’: Sam Altman concedes OpenAI’s Pentagon deal was rushed

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman

• OpenAI to amend Pentagon deal, banning domestic surveillance use
• Altman admits contract announcement was rushed and unclear
• OpenAI tools won't be used by intelligence agencies like the NSA

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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on Monday conceded that the company “shouldn’t have rushed” its recently announced agreement with the US Department of Defense and said the deal would be amended to clarify key safeguards, particularly around domestic surveillance and ethical use of AI.

Altman shared what he described as a repost of an internal memo on X, outlining changes to the contract language. Among the revisions is wording designed to make explicit that “the AI system shall not be intentionally used for domestic surveillance of US persons and nationals.” The memo further states that the Defense Department understands this limitation and agrees to prohibit deliberate tracking, surveillance or monitoring of US citizens’ data as part of the deal.

The clarification effort follows a highly publicized and controversial contract that was announced last Friday, hours after President Donald Trump directed federal agencies to stop using rival AI company Anthropic’s technology amid a standoff over ethical safeguards. The Pentagon had said it could label Anthropic a supply-chain risk if it did not concede to broader usage terms. "In my conversations over the weekend, I reiterated that Anthropic should not be designated as a SCR, and that we hope the DoW offers them the same terms we’ve agreed to," he said.

Altman also noted that the Defense Department affirmed OpenAI’s tools would not be used by intelligence agencies such as the NSA under the current agreement. In his memo, he acknowledged that while OpenAI’s intentions were to help de-escalate tensions between government and AI firms, the announcement’s timing and messaging “looked opportunistic and sloppy.” "We were genuinely trying to de-escalate things and avoid a much worse outcome, but I think it just looked opportunistic and sloppy," said Altman.

“There are many things the technology just isn’t ready for, and many areas we don’t yet understand the tradeoffs required for safety,” Altman wrote, adding that OpenAI would collaborate with the Pentagon on technical safeguards to ensure proper behavior of its models.

The move to clarify contract language comes amid broader controversy over military uses of AI and civil liberties protections. OpenAI’s original announcement included restrictions on mass domestic surveillance and autonomous weapon systems, but critics argued the language lacked sufficient precision. In response, OpenAI said it will tighten and reinforce those terms to ensure its models are not misused under US law.