Episode 10

Written By Dr. Mikah Sellers

What the 'All Lawful Use' Clause Means For the Future of AI Ethics

Guests: Jesse Kirkpatrick, PhD.
Air Date: 3/16/2026 8 am ET

The Pentagon didn't negotiate. It retaliated.

When Anthropic refused to strip its AI safety guardrails, refusing to enable fully autonomous weapons systems or mass domestic surveillance of U.S. citizens, the Department of War designated them a supply chain risk. Trump ordered federal agencies to cut ties. OpenAI stepped in to fill the void.

Then Anthropic sued.

This isn't a tech story. This is a national security story. An ethics story. A story about what happens when institutions built for speed and dominance collide with organizations trying to slow down long enough to ask should we?

I've spent years studying the intersection of human intelligence and artificial intelligence. I've worked with leaders navigating impossible choices in high-stakes environments. But this moment, this specific standoff, is one of the most consequential ethical collisions I've seen play out in real time.

On this week's Forces of Change, we sat down with Jesse Kirkpatrick to unpack it all. The Anthropic designation. The OpenAI deal. The future of autonomous warfare. And the deeper question underneath all of it: who gets to draw the red lines when the technology moves faster than our moral frameworks?

This is the episode to listen to if you believe the future of national security and the future of AI are the same conversation.

🎧 Links:

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Dr. Mikah Sellers

Dr. Mikah Sellers is a best-selling author, workforce futurist, and enterprise transformation leader with over 20 years of experience at the intersection of leadership, learning, and innovation. His work explores how emotionally intelligent leadership—and the systems that support it—can unlock human potential in an era shaped by artificial intelligence and automation.

He earned his doctorate in Organizational Leadership and Learning from the University of Pennsylvania, with research focused on immersive, experiential executive education and emotional intelligence. A former Chief Innovation Officer and Chief Digital Officer, Mikah has led global teams and advised Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and high-growth startups through digital and cultural transformation.

For over a decade, he taught at Georgetown University's School of Continuing Studies, where he was recognized as an award-winning faculty member for his impact on adult learners and leadership education.

https://www.mikahsellers.com/
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Episode 9