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Trump Admin Partially Lifts Export Ban on Anthropic's Mythos 5 Model

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10

Why it matters

The Trump administration on Friday partially lifted a two-week export ban on Anthropic's Mythos 5 AI model, restoring access for over 100 approved companies and federal agencies. The reversal allows these entities—including their foreign staff—to use the model for cybersecurity and infrastructure protection. The Commerce Department, led by Secretary Howard Lutnick, had declared the model a national security risk earlier in June after determining that existing safeguards could be circumvented to enable foreign cyberattacks. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei received the official clearance letter following negotiations between senior White House officials and company leadership. The Pentagon had previously flagged Anthropic as a supply chain risk over disagreements regarding surveillance and autonomous weapons restrictions.

The partial lift applies only to Mythos 5. Anthropic's other restricted model, Fable 5, remains under export controls, though the company says it is negotiating with the government to restore general access. The specific terms governing which companies qualify as "trusted partners" have not been disclosed. OpenAI announced yesterday that it would allow the administration to screen users of its newest model, suggesting a broader shift toward government vetting of AI access across the industry.

Attorneys should monitor this as a marker of how the Trump administration intends to regulate AI exports and control access to advanced models. The rapid swing from total prohibition to selective access demonstrates the volatility of current policy and the government's willingness to impose immediate shutdowns. Companies developing or deploying advanced AI should expect increased scrutiny of their safeguards and potential restrictions tied to geopolitical concerns. The precedent of government user vetting—now accepted by both Anthropic and OpenAI—may become standard practice for future model releases.

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