The American artificial intelligence startup Anthropic was forced to suspend access to its two most powerful models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, just three days after their commercial launch, to comply with a directive from the U.S. government, issued on Friday, June 12, citing "national security."
Washington ordered, under export controls, to cut off access to these models for "any foreign national, inside or outside the United States," including "foreign employees" of Anthropic, according to the company's statement. Unable to filter its users by nationality, Anthropic, already in litigation with the Trump administration, announced it had to "brutally deactivate" both models for all its customers to comply.
Security, a commercial argument
Launched on June 9, Fable 5 is the first model of the Mythos class, Anthropic's most advanced range, which the company had unveiled in April without opening it to the public for security reasons. Fable 5 is restricted in sensitive areas such as cybersecurity and the risks of biological and chemical attacks. Its unrestricted version, Mythos 5, reserved for 200 companies, organizations, and state agencies, is presented as capable of detecting and exploiting security vulnerabilities with unprecedented speed and acuity.
According to the American media Axios, the government directive came from Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. He reportedly made this decision after learning that a user company of the models had managed to bypass the safeguards theoretically preventing malicious use.
Also read: "They wanted to make AI safe": how Anthropic was advised by the Catholic Church
Security, which Anthropic has made a commercial argument, already pits it against the Trump administration. In early March, the Pentagon terminated its contracts with the company, designated as a "supply chain risk." Anthropic, whose models were the only ones accredited secret-defense, took legal action, claiming it was punished for refusing to allow its AI to be used for mass surveillance or autonomous weapons.
A need for independence from the United States
Washington's injunction to suspend access for "any foreign national" to artificial intelligence models has prompted reactions from heavyweights of the French presidential election, warning against an "AI war" and the need for independence from the United States.
"This sudden decision reminds us that artificial intelligence is already a major issue of national sovereignty," said Jordan Bardella (National Rally) on X, urging Paris, like other officials, to "accelerate support" for the French company Mistral AI and "the entire AI ecosystem."
Also read: AI: Mistral, Europe's last hope in the battle of artificial intelligence
In a statement, LFI called, among other things, for "the mobilization of national savings" for "strategic digital infrastructures" and for "opening negotiations at the UN" to regulate AI. Its leader, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, said the U.S. decision "proves the urgency of being independent and sovereign," while also being a "political settling of scores" by the U.S. government with Anthropic, a "proponent of ethical AI."
"The AI war has already begun," said Gabriel Attal (Renaissance). "We cannot rely on others because that makes us vulnerable, the U.S. decision shows it. Anthropic is their Strait of Hormuz," he added.
"We control neither the models nor the computing power" of AI, "as essential as electricity or the Internet," warned Édouard Philippe (Horizons). Urging Europe to "wake up," the mayor of Le Havre called for prioritizing "European technology markets" and simplifying "standards that favor American big tech."
Welcome to Paris
A final measure also advocated by LR presidential candidate Bruno Retailleau, who also wants to "redirect public procurement toward sovereign solutions" and "do with AI what we did with nuclear power (...) think of it as part of our sovereignty." And the senator invited Anthropic's CEO, Dario Amodei, to set up in France: "you are welcome in Paris," he said as the tech world gathers in the French capital from June 17 to 20 for the 10th edition of VivaTech, the largest European innovation event, bringing together nearly 15,000 startups and 4,000 investors from around the world.
French President Emmanuel Macron is expected on stage on Thursday, June 18, to defend the vision of a France and Europe at the forefront of disruptive technologies such as AI and quantum. "We have entered a new world (...) where we can only rely on ourselves first," commented PS leader Olivier Faure, calling for "building a true European power."
