Amazon’s chief executive Andy Jassy joined other technology industry leaders in expressing security concerns about Anthropic’s most sophisticated artificial intelligence systems to Trump administration officials this week, according to a source with knowledge of the discussions.
Amazon has not yet provided a response to requests for comment on the matter.
The Trump administration took action Friday, ordering Anthropic to prevent foreign nationals from accessing its newest AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, regardless of whether they are located within the United States or abroad. The directive was based on national security considerations. Anthropic responded by announcing it would shut down worldwide access to these models.
According to Anthropic’s Friday blog post, federal officials believe there exists a technique to circumvent or “jailbreak” protective measures that would otherwise stop Fable 5 from being utilized to identify software security weaknesses.
The federal restrictions took the form of export control measures, as Anthropic explained in its online statement. The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security, the agency responsible for overseeing export controls, has not yet responded to requests for comment.
Several experts who support export restrictions on cutting-edge AI technology expressed confusion about the Trump administration’s decision, noting it impacts friendly nations alongside potential adversaries.
“This was not well thought-out,” said Jimmy Goodrich, a senior fellow at the University of California’s Institute for Global Conflict and Cooperation. “It even bans Canadians and Brits employed at Anthropic from doing research and development.”
The directive was issued at a time when an earlier conflict between Trump administration officials and Anthropic appeared to be resolving within various parts of the federal government. Anthropic has privately submitted paperwork for a U.S. initial public offering.
