The export controls mark the US government’s most significant step to date to restrict access to the most advanced AI models.
Anthropic released Fable widely this week. That model is a limited version of the even more advanced Mythos, to which the company has tightly limited access due to cybersecurity fears.
In a statement, Anthropic said it disagrees with the government’s handling of the matter, saying it received the directive from the US government on Friday, and it did not specify the national security concerns.
“We believe the government should have the ability to block unsafe deployments, as part of a statutory process that is transparent, fair, clear and grounded in technical facts,” the company said. “This action does not adhere to those principles.”
Anthropic called it a “misunderstanding” and said it hopes to restore access to the models “as soon as possible.”
The action comes 10 days after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to establish a framework for the federal government to vet the national security risks of the most advanced AI systems for up to a month before their public release. Participation by AI developers would be voluntary, the order said.
Anthropic has been in the crosshairs of the Trump administration – US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth labelled it a “supply chain risk” because the AI company refused to drop its ethical guardrails against the military using its models for fully autonomous weapons and mass domestic surveillance.
Anthropic is suing the Pentagon following the designation. (Agencies)
