US Lifts Export Ban on Anthropic's Mythos, Fable

The US Commerce Department has lifted export controls on Anthropic's Fable and Mythos artificial intelligence models, according to Reuters. The reversal comes less than three weeks after an initial suspension order on June 12 over national security risks.

Following the initial mandate, the firm abruptly deactivated its advanced Mythos 5 and Fable 5 systems. The US government partially eased this restriction on Friday, permitting some "trusted" domestic organisations to access Mythos 5.

"We'll begin restoring access tomorrow," Anthropic stated on X (formerly Twitter).

Why AI Models Were Suspended

Earlier this month, Anthropic halted access to its newest AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, following a US government export control order tied to national security issues, the company had written in the blog post.

The company stated that the directive obliges it to restrict access for foreign nationals, including staff based outside the United States, leading to a worldwide suspension of the two models.

Other Anthropic models remain unaffected. In the blog post, Anthropic said it had examined a demonstration of the alleged jailbreak method and identified only minor weaknesses, noting that comparable problems can be found in other widely available AI systems.

Conditions Behind Relief

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick confirmed the withdrawal of the export curbs in a letter to the company seen by Reuters. Lutnick stated that special licences are no longer required to export the Fable and Mythos models.

"Anthropic has agreed to proactively detect and address security risks associated with the models; to work diligently with the US government on protocols and standards and releases for Mythos, Fable, and future models; and to inform the US government of any malicious activity," Lutnick told Reuters.

Washington is intensifying scrutiny over artificial intelligence releases amid concerns that military intelligence agencies in China, Russia or other countries of concern could misuse these sophisticated systems.

Altman Criticises Govt Vetting

The government's vetting of which companies can gain access to these models has drawn criticism. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman questioned the selective approval process.

Altman posted on X last week that extensive safety testing "is not a bad idea. I just don't like the idea of the government picking the customers".

At the US government's request, ChatGPT-maker OpenAI delayed the full public launch of its GPT-5.6 system, limiting access to a small group of vetted partners.