Trump administration export order forces Anthropic to take two AI models offline
6 reported3 unconfirmed
Anthropic recently took its two newest AI models offline due to an export control order from the Trump administration, according to a discussion on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast. The administration sent a letter citing “national security concerns” but did not make the report public or provide specifics. Reports indicated the White House was tipped off after Amazon researchers allegedly found a way to bypass one model’s guardrails, and Amazon CEO Andy Jassy raised those concerns with the White House. Podcast participants noted that Anthropic has not had a good relationship with the Trump administration, setting it apart from other leading AI labs. Cybersecurity experts signed an open letter asking Trump to revoke the order, arguing it is dangerous to pull advanced cybersecurity capabilities from U.S. network defenders. Anthropic itself stated that similar jailbreaks could have been found in several other AI models. The podcast also discussed whether the crackdown could benefit Anthropic by making its models seem more powerful, noting that a previous blow-up between the company and the administration led to increased downloads of its Claude chatbot.
What’s reported
Anthropic took its two newest models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, offline due to a Trump administration export control order.
The administration sent a letter citing “national security concerns” but did not make the report public or give specifics.
Reports said the White House was tipped off by Amazon researchers who allegedly found a way to bypass Fable 5’s guardrails; Amazon CEO Andy Jassy raised these concerns with the White House.
Cybersecurity experts signed an open letter asking Trump to revoke the order, calling it dangerous to pull advanced cybersecurity capabilities from U.S. network defenders.
Anthropic said some of the same jailbreaks could have been found in several other AI models.
A previous blow-up between Anthropic and the Trump administration led to increased downloads of Claude.
Open questions
What specific national security concerns the administration cited in its letter.
Whether the export control order will be revoked or challenged.
What implications this may have for other AI companies.
Key figures
Dario Amodei (Anthropic CEO, implied but not named directly)
Andy Jassy (Amazon CEO)
Sean O’Kane (TechCrunch podcast participant)
Rebecca Bellan (TechCrunch podcast participant)
Anthony Ha (TechCrunch podcast participant)
Sources: TechCrunch
