Anthropic, a prominent AI company, announced on Friday the temporary shutdown of its latest artificial intelligence models, named Fable 5 and Mythos 5, in compliance with a directive from the Trump administration to prevent their utilization by foreign individuals. This move by the U.S. government represents a significant measure to limit access to advanced AI models. While the company made Fable openly available this week, it maintains strict control over access to the more advanced Mythos model due to cybersecurity concerns.
In a released statement, Anthropic expressed disagreement with the administration’s directive, highlighting the lack of specific national security concerns outlined in the directive received on Friday. The company emphasized the importance of a transparent, fair, and technically grounded process to block unsafe deployments. Anthropic labeled the situation a “misunderstanding” and expressed the hope to restore access to the models promptly.
The Commerce Department has not yet responded to requests for comment on this matter. This action follows President Trump’s executive order from 10 days ago, establishing a framework for vetting national security risks posed by advanced AI systems before their public release. Anthropic previously warned about the potential risks associated with Mythos, particularly its capacity to identify software vulnerabilities on a large scale, which could pose threats to economies, public safety, and national security if misused.
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem raised concerns about Mythos during the International Monetary Fund’s spring meetings, emphasizing the need for a proactive approach by firms, regulators, and policymakers to address the challenges posed by rapidly evolving AI technologies. Macklem stressed the critical importance of robust cybersecurity measures to counter the vulnerabilities exposed by these advanced AI models.