The Trump administration is prohibiting foreign governments, companies, and individuals from accessing Anthropic's most advanced AI models. This action represents an escalation in the U.S. government's approach to treating advanced AI systems as national security assets. Anthropic has been placed on a Pentagon blacklist, which deems its technology too dangerous for government use, and is now subject to a Commerce Department licensing regime that restricts its use by foreign entities.
On June 9, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick informed Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei that the Mythos 5 and Fable 5 models would require export controls for any location outside the U.S. and for all foreign persons within the country. An administration official indicated that the decision followed claims from another company about the ability to jailbreak the Mythos model, raising concerns about potential national security risks.
The administration attempted to persuade Anthropic to delay the release of its latest models but was unsuccessful, leading to the issuance of the export control letter. The official noted that the models must remain secured until the U.S. government's national security measures are strengthened, which may occur in the coming weeks.
According to the Commerce Department's letter, a license will be necessary for the export, re-export, or domestic transfer of Anthropic's models. Additionally, Anthropic will need to submit an application for individually validated licenses, with non-compliance resulting in financial and civil penalties.
Earlier in June, the Trump administration released an executive order aimed at testing advanced AI models prior to deployment. Anthropic is collaborating with the Center for AI Standards and Innovation at the Commerce Department for pre-deployment testing. However, the executive order is voluntary and does not establish a licensing regime, as White House chief AI adviser David Sacks sought to prevent what he describes as regulatory capture of major labs. An administration official stated that Trump aims to support the industry and foster innovation.