# Anthropic RSP v3.0

**Type:** Voluntary AI Safety Framework  
**Released:** February 24, 2026  
**Predecessor:** RSP v2 (October 2024)  
**Status:** Active  

## Overview

Anthropic's Responsible Scaling Policy (RSP) v3.0 represents a significant shift from binding commitments to non-binding transparency mechanisms. Released on the same day Defense Secretary Hegseth gave CEO Dario Amodei a deadline for unrestricted military use of Claude.

## Key Changes from RSP v2

**Removed:**
- Binding pause commitment: "if we cannot implement adequate mitigations before reaching ASL-X, we will pause"
- Hard stop operational mechanism for development/deployment

**Added:**
- "Frontier Safety Roadmap" — detailed list of non-binding safety goals
- "Risk Reports" — comprehensive risk assessments every 3-6 months (beyond current system cards)
- Commitment to publicly grade progress toward goals
- Commitment to match competitors' mitigations if more effective and implementable at similar cost
- "Missile defense carveout" — autonomous missile interception systems exempted from autonomous weapons prohibition

## Stated Rationale

- "Stopping the training of AI models wouldn't actually help anyone if other developers with fewer scruples continue to advance"
- "Some commitments in the old RSP only make sense if they're matched by other companies"
- "Unilateral pauses are ineffective in a market where competitors continue to race forward"
- Strategy of "non-binding but publicly-declared" targets borrows from transparency approaches championed for frontier AI legislation

## External Reception

**GovAI Analysis:**
- Initial reaction: "rather negative, particularly concerned about the pause commitment being dropped"
- After deeper engagement: "more positive"
- Conclusion: "better to be honest about constraints than to keep commitments that won't be followed in practice"

## Timeline

- **October 2024** — RSP v2 released with binding pause commitments and ASL framework
- **February 24, 2026** — RSP v3.0 released; same day as Hegseth ultimatum to Anthropic
- **February 26, 2026** — Anthropic publicly refuses Pentagon terms (RSP v3 already released)
- **February 27, 2026** — Pentagon designates Anthropic supply chain risk; $200M contract canceled

## Significance

RSP v3 represents the first documented case of a safety-committed AI lab explicitly invoking Mutually Assured Deregulation logic to justify removing binding safety commitments. The timing—same day as Pentagon ultimatum—makes it a key data point in understanding how voluntary governance erodes under competitive and coercive pressure.

## Sources

- Time Magazine exclusive, February 24, 2026
- Anthropic RSP v3.0 documentation
- GovAI analysis