The US government has lifted its block on Anthropic's powerful Claude Mythos 5 AI model, clearing the company to release it to more than 100 US institutions, according to a Semafor scoop reported via Techmeme.
The decision came Friday after what Wired describes as weeks of negotiations between Anthropic and the White House. Wired reports the administration permitted Anthropic to restore access to its most advanced AI model for a select group of US companies and government agencies. Reuters framed the move as allowing Anthropic to release Mythos to "trusted partners."
The shift is partial, not total. Politico characterized it as the Trump administration "partially" lifting Anthropic's AI export ban, while The New York Times reported the US "loosens restrictions" rather than removing them entirely. The access appears limited to vetted American organizations rather than a broad public release.
A second model remains in play. Semafor's sources say talks about Fable 5 are ongoing, and Bloomberg reports that Anthropic and the White House are moving closer to an agreement that would lift US restrictions on the company's top two AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5. Crypto Briefing reports Anthropic is working to restore access to both models following the US directive. BeInCrypto framed the open question directly: with Mythos 5 cleared, will Fable 5 follow?
The sources do not detail why the restrictions were imposed in the first place, the terms of the agreement, or which specific institutions gained access.
Why it matters: The episode shows the US government now treating access to the most capable AI models as something to be granted and withheld like a strategic resource, with even American companies and agencies needing official clearance to use them.