White House and Anthropic at Odds Over AI Export Controls
10 reported2 unconfirmed
Nearly a week after the Trump administration sent an export control directive to AI lab Anthropic, forcing it to pull its most advanced models offline, the two sides remain at odds over how to restore access to Claude Mythos and Fable 5. Anthropic does not believe it violated any concrete procedures or rules laid out by the administration, according to a person close to the company, while the White House contends Anthropic behaved recklessly. The dispute is defined by its opaqueness, with the US government never clearly stating what Anthropic did wrong. The White House demanded Anthropic prohibit all foreign nationals from accessing the models, locking out many of the lab’s own employees and all customers, including Apple, Meta, and much of the Fortune 500. US officials grew concerned after learning Anthropic shared Mythos with SK Telecom, a South Korean telecom giant they allege has ties to China, and after Amazon CEO Andy Jassy raised concerns to Treasury secretary Scott Bessent that guardrails on Claude Fable 5 could be circumvented. Anthropic says it coordinated with the US government on the rollout of Mythos and revoked SK Telecom’s access immediately when concerns were raised. Other AI leaders, including Cohere CEO Aidan Gomez, say they believe they must give the White House early access to their latest models and be proactive about sharing information to avoid a similar fate.
What’s reported
The Trump administration sent an export control directive to Anthropic nearly a week ago, forcing it to pull Claude Mythos and Fable 5 offline.
Anthropic does not believe it violated any concrete procedures or rules, according to a person close to the company.
The White House contends Anthropic behaved recklessly and cannot be trusted to safely roll out frontier technology.
The US government has not clearly stated what Anthropic did wrong; the best public explanation is a post on X from White House technology adviser David Sacks.
The White House demanded Anthropic prohibit all foreign nationals from accessing Mythos and Fable 5, locking out many employees and all customers, including Apple, Meta, and much of the Fortune 500.
US officials grew concerned after learning Anthropic shared Mythos with SK Telecom, a South Korean telecom giant they allege has ties to China.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy raised concerns to Treasury secretary Scott Bessent that guardrails on Claude Fable 5 could be circumvented.
Anthropic says it coordinated with the US government on the rollout of Mythos and revoked SK Telecom’s access immediately when concerns were raised.
President Trump signed an executive order last month creating a “voluntary” system for AI labs to submit models for early testing, with a carve-out stating it would not become a mandatory licensing regime.
A former White House technology official, speaking anonymously, said the administration’s actions effectively create an ad hoc licensing regime.
Open questions
What specific actions by Anthropic the White House considers violations.
Whether the White House will allow Anthropic to bring Mythos and Fable 5 back online, and under what conditions.
Key figures
David Sacks, White House technology adviser
Aidan Gomez, CEO of Cohere
Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon
Scott Bessent, US Treasury secretary
A former White House technology official (anonymous)
A person close to Anthropic (anonymous)
Sources: Wired
