March 3 (UPI) -- OpenAI said it will revise its agreement to supply the U.S. Department of Defense with AI to include provisions banning the use of its tools by the intelligence agencies for domestic mass surveillance purposes.
The existing deal announced on Friday had been hurried and reflected badly on the firm after OpenAI stepped in to replace Anthropic within hours of it being dropped for refusing to allow its technology to be used for surveillance and autonomous weapons, CEO Sam Altman told staff on Monday.
"We shouldn't have rushed to get this out on Friday. The issues are super complex, and demand clear communication. We were genuinely trying to de-escalate things and avoid a much worse outcome, but I think it just looked opportunistic and sloppy," Altman said.
According to an internal document reposted by Altman, changes to the contract included new wording explicitly stating that "the AI system shall not be intentionally used for domestic surveillance of U.S. persons and nationals."
"For the avoidance of doubt, the Department understands the limitation to prohibit deliberate tracking, surveillance, or monitoring of U.S. persons or nationals, including through the procurement or use of commercially acquired personal or identifiable information," it added.
