Amateurism strikes again, I suppose, on this thread concerning the company Anthropic’s moral principles and the lack thereof on the part of the Trump Administration:
An artificial intelligence researcher hired by the Commerce Department to run a key federal technology center lasted just four days on the job before being replaced, according to four people familiar with the situation.
Collin Burns, who previously worked at the AI firm Anthropic, started work Monday at the Center for AI Standards and Innovation but was pushed out Thursday by the White House, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations.
Officials were concerned about Burns having worked at the AI company, which has fought bitterly with the Trump administration in recent months, according to one of the people and another person. That person said some senior figures at the White House had not been briefed on Burns’s selection in advance, and were concerned about anyone from a major lab being in a position required to work so closely with the industry. [WaPo]
While some may argue that the Administration did the right thing, it’s really nothing more than guilt through association. Like a Mafia organization, Trump didn’t get what he wanted from Anthropic, and so anyone with an association with Anthropic will be made to pay. Defiance of a bully carries a certain charm; Trump’s Administration is trying to make that charm unaffordable.
They won’t win with Anthropic, I’d guess, but the real targets are tomorrow’s vendors, who must be made to understand that they will cater to Trump’s every need, or they face commercial extinction.
