Trump Administration Orders Anthropic to Disable Advanced AI Models Over SK Telecom Access Dispute

The Trump administration has ordered artificial intelligence company Anthropic to revoke access to its most advanced AI models, Claude Mythos and Fable 5, triggering a broader dispute over national security concerns and technology safeguards. The action followed the administration's discovery that South Korean telecom giant SK Telecom had been granted access to Claude Mythos through Anthropic's Project Glasswing program, which provides early access to the company's most powerful models to a select group of trusted organizations.

US officials expressed concern about what they characterized as SK Telecom's alleged ties to China, though the company has denied such connections. SK Telecom, South Korea's largest wireless carrier, had become one of approximately 150 organizations to receive Mythos access after Anthropic expanded the program following collaboration with outside experts and the US government. The company has invested significantly in Anthropic, including a $100 million investment in 2023 that established a commercial partnership to develop telecommunications-focused AI models. While SK Telecom itself does not maintain substantial operations in China, it operates as part of SK Group, a larger conglomerate with extensive business interests across Chinese markets in semiconductors, energy, and other sectors.

Complications emerged when Amazon researchers identified vulnerabilities in Fable 5, a publicly released safeguarded version of Mythos launched on June 9. Amazon flagged these findings to the White House, claiming the vulnerabilities could potentially allow circumvention of the model's guardrails to access Mythos' advanced cybersecurity capabilities. However, Anthropic and outside cybersecurity experts have disputed the severity of these risks, noting they are not unique to Claude. The White House, citing the combination of the SK Telecom access issue and Amazon's security concerns, determined it could not trust Anthropic to adequately safeguard the technology.

On Friday, the Trump administration issued an order requiring Anthropic to revoke access to both models for all foreign nationals, including immigrants within the US. Rather than implement nationality-based restrictions, which Anthropic deemed impractical and privacy-invasive, the company disabled access to the models entirely. Anthropic sources indicated the company viewed SK Telecom's access and the Amazon-identified vulnerabilities as separate issues, noting that the government's demand letter did not specifically reference the Korean company or China. Despite days of negotiations, the White House and Anthropic remain at odds over restoring the models to online status.