US authorizes Anthropic to restore Mythos 5 AI access
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick informed the artificial intelligence company that approximately 100 trusted organizations can regain access to the restricted cybersecurity model, reversing a national security ban imposed two weeks earlier, according to a letter seen by NBC News.
The US Commerce Department has authorized artificial intelligence firm Anthropic to restore access to its Mythos 5 model for a limited set of government agencies and private companies, reversing a national security restriction imposed just two weeks earlier. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick informed the company that approximately 100 trusted organizations — including federal agencies and private sector entities — could once again access the system, according to a letter seen by NBC News.
Anthropic said on social media platform X: “The government notified us that Mythos 5, our strongest cybersecurity model, can be redeployed to a set of US organizations that operate and defend critical infrastructure.” The model is designed to identify cyber vulnerabilities and support defensive cybersecurity operations for critical infrastructure providers.
Export Control Actions
The restoration follows Lutnick's invocation of export control authorities two weeks ago to require Anthropic to suspend access to both Mythos 5 and its consumer model, Fable 5, citing national security threats. The move came hours after OpenAI announced that it would release its latest GPT-5.6 models in phases at the federal government's request.
OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman described the staggered launch as “bad news,” saying the company had initially planned a broader rollout. The Commerce Department's earlier restrictions had effectively halted Anthropic's deployment of its most advanced cybersecurity tools to commercial customers.
Ongoing Negotiations
Anthropic said discussions with government officials would continue over the weekend as it seeks to restore access to Fable 5, the companion consumer model still under restriction. The company has emphasized that Mythos 5 serves purely defensive functions for infrastructure protection.
The Trump administration has been developing a framework to test advanced AI models for safety risks while strengthening cybersecurity protections across federal systems, according to NBC News. Lutnick's letter represents the first significant easing of AI export controls since the administration began scrutinizing frontier models for potential national security implications.
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