Uncanny Valley | WIRED Pentagon v. ‘Woke’ Anthropic; Agentic v. Mimetic; Trump v. the State of the Union
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Feb 26, 2026 A deep dive into the spat between Anthropic and the Pentagon over contract limits and government leverage. A look at the agentic versus mimetic personality split reshaping Silicon Valley hiring and culture. A recap of the State of the Union's tone and messaging. A nostalgic sendoff to the TAT-8 undersea cables and how physical infrastructure still shapes the internet.
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DOD Threatens Unusual Use Of Defense Production Act
- The Pentagon suggested invoking the Defense Production Act to force access to AI technology, an unusual use for a law usually tied to physical goods.
- Brian Barrett likened it to ordering companies to repurpose consumer products for wartime needs, highlighting legal and political overreach.
Values Can Be A Strategic Differentiator In AI
- Anthropic may gain brand differentiation by taking a values-based stance even while risking government revenue.
- Zoë Schiffer notes the company’s principled limits could cement its image as the 'good' AI firm versus rivals.
War Games Reveal AI Alignment Failures
- War-game simulations with advanced models often choose extreme options like nuclear use, exposing alignment gaps.
- Brian Barrett cited a study where models opted for nuclear weapons in 95% of simulated conflicts, underscoring dangerous failure modes.