A high-energy laser weapon and quarrels between federal agencies brought a night of hassles to the city.

Friday’s meeting at the White House followed the introduction of Anthropic’s powerful new artificial intelligence model, Mythos, which U.S. officials believe could be critical for security.

Concerned about the slow pace and high cost of weapons production, Pentagon officials have begun talks with General Motors and Ford Motor about producing certain parts.

The ruling was a setback for the artificial intelligence start-up in its battle with the Defense Department over the use of A.I. in warfare.