Trump Says Anthropic Is 'Shaping Up,' Open to Deal With Pentagon

WASHINGTON, April 21 (Reuters) - U.S. ⁠President ⁠Donald Trump ⁠on Tuesday told CNBC that AI giant Anthropic was "shaping up" in the eyes of his administration and he was open ⁠to ⁠a deal to allow the firm to resume contracting with defense officials.

Trump in February directed federal agencies to blacklist Anthropic from procurement projects, alleging its new "Mythos" ⁠system was ⁠a supply chain ⁠risk. The company disputes that characterization and filed suit against ⁠the Defense Department in March over the determination.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei met with White House officials last ⁠week to attempt to repair the relationship. The ⁠White House called the meeting productive and constructive.

"They came to the White House a few days ago, and we had some very good talks with them," Trump told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Tuesday. "And I ⁠think they're shaping up. They're very smart, and I think they can be of great use. I like smart people."

(Reporting by Jacob Bogage;Editing by David Ljunggren)