Trump drops restrictions on Anthropic's Mythos and Fable models
Trump drops restrictions on Anthropic's Mythos and Fable models
The US government has lifted a requirement that Anthropic obtain a license before exporting its Mythos and Fable models abroad, effectively restoring public access to the most advanced AI models released to date. According to Techcrunch, the AI lab said it would begin restoring access to the models on Wednesday, July 1.
The US government had added the products to its list of export-restricted technologies on June 12, meaning they could no longer be made available to foreign nationals without special approval. Complying with that rule proved impractical at scale, forcing Anthropic to end public access to the models altogether. Finance reported that Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said Anthropic "has agreed to proactively detect and address security risks associated with the models; to work diligently with the U.S. Government on protocols and standards and releases for Mythos, Fable and future models; and to inform the US government of any malicious activity."
Media additions
Mythos was originally made available to a select group of organizations beginning in April to allay concerns about its ability to identify and exploit vulnerabilities in software, while a version called Fable was released to the public in June with additional security guardrails. CBS News reported that Anthropic said in a social media post that it will begin restoring access on Wednesday. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick wrote on X that in recent weeks, his team has "worked closely with Anthropic to analyze and approve Fable 5 to ensure alignment across the US Government and strengthen America's leadership in AI."
The Trump administration's decision to lift the restrictions comes after weeks of talks between the government and Anthropic. Foxbusiness reported that the Commerce Department's decision removes licensing requirements that had previously applied to exports, reexports, and certain transfers of the affected AI models.
Aljazeera quoted Francesco Bailo, deputy director of the AI, Trust and Governance Centre at the University of Sydney, as saying that the US government likely realised it had overreacted, and also that its decision would produce a dangerous, messy precedent in terms of regulations and strong backlash from an industry that has invested considerably in maintaining close communication with the Trump administration.
The Trump administration's erratic approach to AI policymaking has left companies across the industry with little clarity about what will govern future model releases. An executive order issued in June that signaled a desire to review models ahead of release was criticized by influential analysts like Dean W. Ball, who recently started a policy position at OpenAI.
Wired reported that the Trump administration is lifting export controls on Anthropic's two most powerful AI models after the company reached a deal with the Commerce Department. The news was communicated in a letter sent by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to Anthropic cofounder Tom Brown.
Here is a timeline of the key events:
- April: Mythos was originally made available to a select group of organizations to allay concerns about its ability to identify and exploit vulnerabilities in software.
- June: Fable was released to the public with additional security guardrails.
- June 12: The US government added the products to its list of export-restricted technologies, meaning they could no longer be made available to foreign nationals without special approval.
- June 12-13: The Trump administration issued an export control directive prohibiting foreign nationals from accessing both Mythos 5 and Fable 5.
- June 13: Anthropic pulled the plug entirely, suspending all access to both models.
- June 15: Senior Anthropic executives began meeting with Trump administration officials.
- June 18: Anthropic formally proposed a closer collaborative framework with the Trump administration.
- June 30: The Trump administration lifted the restrictions on Anthropic's Mythos and Fable models.
