Anthropic’s Mythos Access Suspended Amid U.S.-China Tensions

The Trump administration’s decision to impose export controls on Anthropic’s most powerful AI system followed a dispute over the company’s grant of access to its Claude Mythos model to South Korean telecom giant SK Telecom, according to sources familiar with the matter. U.S. officials expressed concern about potential links between SK Telecom and China.

Those concerns intensified when Amazon identified vulnerabilities in Fable 5, a heavily guarded version of Mythos released to the public on June 9. Amazon researchers said it was possible to bypass some of Fable 5’s safeguards and access Mythos’s advanced cyber capabilities, although Anthropic and external cybersecurity experts argued that such risks are not unique to Claude.

The convergence of these events prompted the White House to conclude that it could not rely on Anthropic to safeguard its most advanced AI technology, according to a person close to the administration. On Friday, the Trump administration ordered Anthropic to suspend access to Mythos and Fable 5 for all foreign nationals, including immigrants residing in the United States.

Rather than restrict access based on nationality — an approach that would be difficult to enforce without compromising privacy — Anthropic opted to disable access to the models entirely. Negotiations between the White House and Anthropic about restoring access to Claude Mythos and Fable 5 have continued.

Anthropic declined to comment. The White House and SK Telecom did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Washington Post previously reported that Trump administration officials were alarmed to learn that Mythos recipients included a “South Korean telecommunications company” with alleged ties to China, though the article did not name the firm. In response, SK Telecom told a Korean newspaper that “anonymous insider’s remarks in foreign media lack verified facts, and our company has no ties to China.”

A source close to Anthropic said the company views SK Telecom’s access to Mythos and the vulnerabilities identified by Amazon as separate issues. They noted that the U.S. government’s letter demanding that Anthropic restrict Claude Mythos and Fable 5 to U.S. nationals does not mention the Korean company or China.

Because Claude Mythos excels at identifying software vulnerabilities, Anthropic limited early access to a small group of trusted organizations through Project Glasswing. Earlier this month, SK Telecom, South Korea’s largest wireless carrier, became one of roughly 150 companies to receive access to Mythos as Anthropic expanded the program “following several weeks of close collaboration” with external experts and the U.S. government.

SK Telecom has made multiple investments in Anthropic, including a $100 million stake in 2023 that coincided with a commercial partnership to develop an AI model tailored to the telecommunications sector. It was among several Korean participants in Project Glasswing, alongside Samsung Electronics and the Korea Internet and Security Agency.

Shortly after Anthropic announced the latest expansion of Project Glasswing, the White House asked Anthropic to revoke SK Telecom’s access to Mythos, according to a person close to the AI lab. The company complied immediately, sources say, and the U.S. government did not threaten export controls at that time.

Although SK Telecom itself has limited operations in China, it is part of the larger SK Group, whose affiliates maintain extensive business interests in the country across semiconductors, energy, and other industries.

Source link