Anthropic says Claude users in northern Yemen, territory controlled by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, tried to use the AI model to develop advanced missiles.
AI is already transforming warfare from Ukraine to Gaza, and its use on a rugged and remote battlefield is likely to increase concerns about its rapid spread.
Anthropic said the users of the accounts, which it blocked after identifying them, did not succeed in “fielding an operational device” but did carry out a failed test of a guided rocket. It said it knows that because the users returned to its Claude chatbot to find out why it failed.
In a report released Thursday, the company did not identify the users. But mountainous northern Yemen is controlled by Houthis, suggesting that the rebels are pursuing more sophisticated weapons at a time when they are already wielding an array of drones, missiles and other munitions in their campaign to seize more territory in Yemen and damage Saudi Arabia’s oil exports.
Hazam al-Assad, a member of the Houthis’ political bureau, said it is “unreasonable and illogical” that they would rely on open sources to develop and produce military capabilities.
“Our armed forces have modern, diverse and developed production capabilities and technology that it has accumulated over the period of Saudi aggression on Yemen,” al-Assad said, referring to the kingdom’s involvement in Yemen’s 12-year civil war. He said all weapons are used for self-defense.
The report was the third put out by Anthropic since March 2025 on global misuse of its AI platforms, and it described findings from December to August, ranging from state-sponsored groups spreading propaganda to unnamed actors researching how to make biological weapons more deadly.
The Houthis may have been seeking to develop their capabilities
The developer of the prominent Claude chatbot said it identified a cell in northern Yemen pursuing three different weapons programs, including a multi-variant missile that glides at hypersonic speed and a warhead that uses mobile phone hardware to maneuver mid-course.