US Restricts Access to Anthropic’s Advanced AI Models

AI company Anthropic has blocked access to its newly released advanced AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, following an order from the United States government. In a blog post published on Friday, the company said it received the directive at 5:21 PM (21:21 GMT) and was instructed to prevent all foreign nationals from accessing the models due to national security concerns. The restriction also applies to foreign employees currently working within the United States.

Anthropic stated that Mythos 5 is particularly effective at identifying software vulnerabilities, including flaws that may have remained undiscovered for decades. The technology has been used by government agencies and selected companies to strengthen cybersecurity systems. However, concerns have been raised that such powerful artificial intelligence tools could be misused as cyberweapons if they fall into the wrong hands. The recently launched Fable 5 is based on the same technology, though some advanced cybersecurity and biotechnology capabilities have been restricted.

The company said it received only limited information regarding the government's decision and disagreed with the move to restrict access. Anthropic argued that similar capabilities are available in competing AI systems and emphasized that Fable 5 underwent extensive safety testing. Earlier this month, the company also proposed that leading AI developers consider slowing or temporarily pausing the development of highly advanced AI systems, warning that rapid technological progress could eventually become difficult for humans to control.