The US government has moved to restrict access to Anthropic's newest artificial intelligence models, throwing the high-profile AI company into confusion.
According to The New York Times, the models — named Fable 5 and Mythos 5 — were disabled with less than 90 minutes of notice. The Times reports that workers at the company have been puzzled and increasingly concerned by the administration's move, and that some staff have begun to wonder whether President Trump is bullying the startup. Some Anthropic employees have gone further, accusing the Trump administration of targeting them.
The restriction is striking given the company's own stance toward oversight. As CNBC frames it, Anthropic had asked for regulation — but Washington went much further than the company anticipated.
The exact rationale remains a live question. Cyber Magazine's coverage centers on why the US is freezing Anthropic's new Claude models, while European outlet eurotopics.net asks what the blocking of access actually means.
Why it matters: When a government can switch off a leading AI company's flagship products on short notice — and that company's own staff suspect political motives — it raises pointed questions about who controls the most powerful AI tools and on what terms.