US Lifts Curbs on Anthropic’s Fable, Mythos AI Models Over National Security Concerns

Anthropic announced on Tuesday that the U.S. Commerce Department has lifted export controls on its Fable and Mythos AI models. This decision comes less than three weeks after the department ordered Anthropic to suspend access to its most advanced AI models due to national security risks.

The move follows heightened government oversight of new model releases, aimed at identifying potential threats from advanced AI models that could be misused by military intelligence in countries like China and Russia. In June, Anthropic disabled its Mythos 5 and Fable 5 models following an export-control order.

Anthropic’s CEO stated on X that the company will begin restoring access to these models starting tomorrow. A letter from U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick confirmed the withdrawal of export controls. The department also noted it reserves the right to reimpose controls if Anthropic fails to meet its commitments or circumstances change.

The decision follows a similar move by rival OpenAI, which delayed the full public launch of GPT-5.6 at the U.S. government’s request, limiting access to a small group of vetted partners. This has drawn criticism for being unfair and not transparent in choosing which companies are deemed “trusted.”

Increased scrutiny began with President Donald Trump signing an executive order establishing a voluntary framework for AI developers to offer frontier models to the U.S. government for up to 30 days before releasing them to trusted partners.

Experts warn that Mythos models, if misused, could significantly accelerate sophisticated cyberattacks in sectors like banking reliant on complex technology systems. Both OpenAI and Anthropic are preparing for potential U.S. initial public offerings (IPOs).

This year, Anthropic’s relationship with the U.S. government has been particularly strained, including being designated a “supply-chain risk” by the Pentagon for refusing to allow its models to be used for mass surveillance or fully autonomous weapons systems.