Anthropic Pulls Its Most Powerful AI Models After U.S. Bars Foreign Access

Anthropic abruptly disabled its two most powerful AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, on Friday to comply with a U.S. government order restricting access by foreign nationals, including its own employees. The Trump Administration issued an export-control directive citing national security concerns, marking the first time AI models themselves have been targeted under such restrictions. The company stated it received verbal notice of a potential 'jailbreaking' method for Fable 5, which it disputed as grounds for a full recall, and apologized for disrupting customer access. The order reflects a broader U.S. strategy to prevent foreign adversaries from accessing American-made AI technology, treating the models as national security assets. It follows a dispute between Anthropic and the Pentagon, which blacklisted the company after it refused to allow military use of its AI for fully autonomous weapons systems. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick notified Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei of the restrictions in a letter, according to the *Wall Street Journal*. Anthropic launched Fable 5 earlier this week, describing it as a 'Mythos-class' model with capabilities exceeding any previously released version, particularly in identifying software vulnerabilities. The timing of the restrictions is significant, as Anthropic prepares for an expected initial public offering amid competition from rivals like SpaceX, which launched its own IPO this week, becoming the sixth-most-valuable public company in the U.S. The Pentagon’s Chief Information Officer, Kirsten Davies, emphasized national security over commercial interests, stating that 'America First' priorities take precedence over revenue cycles. Neither the Pentagon nor the Commerce Department responded to requests for comment. The move underscores growing tensions between AI innovation and government oversight in the U.S.