Trump makes major U-turn on Anthropic; says AI firm is no longer a national security threat

US President Donald Trump stated that he previously considered the artificial intelligence company Anthropic to be a national security threat. The statement came during an interview with “The Axios Show” published on Friday, signaling a major turnaround and that relations have significantly improved.

It implies a decisive point for success as national security concerns and personality clashes landed major AI players in the middle of a government crackdown with domestic and global ramifications.

Anthropic technical staff organized a meeting with the Trump administration earlier this week to discuss the market access dispute surrounding its most advanced AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5.

Last week, Anthropic reportedly announced on Friday it is restricting its powerful new AI model, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, to adhere to export regulations after US authorities identified flaws within the system following its public release. 

Trump told Axios that Amodei acknowledged the administration's export control “very quickly” and “responsibly”.

Trump and other G7 leaders consulted with technology leaders, including Amodei at a summit in France this week.

According to Axios, Trump did not invoke extraordinary executive authority under the Defense Production Act against Anthropic.

Anthropic spokesperson said: “We are grateful to the administration for their ongoing partnership in working to get this matter resolved as quickly as possible. We ⁠remain ​committed to working alongside them towards our ​shared goals of protecting critical infrastructure and making sure the U.S. leads in ​AI.”