Amazon voiced concerns about Anthropic AI models before US  government’s crackdown, source says

WASHINGTON – Amazon chief executive officer Andy Jassy was among tech leaders who raised concerns to senior Trump administration officials this week about security risks in Anthropic’s most advanced AI models, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Citing national security concerns, the Trump administration on June 12 directed Anthropic to block any foreign nationals, whether inside or outside the US, from using its latest models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5.

In response, Anthropic said it would disable access to the models globally.

In a blog post, Anthropic said on June 12 that the US government believes there is a method of bypassing, or “jailbreaking,” a safeguard that would prevent Fable 5 from being used in identifying software vulnerabilities, the company said.

The US government restrictions came in the form of an export control, Anthropic said in its blog post.

The US Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security, which oversees export controls, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Some experts who favour export controls on advanced AI models found the Trump administration’s action puzzling because it affects allied nations as well as 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 order came just as a previous dispute between Trump administration officials and Anthropic, which has confidentially filed for a US initial public offering, showed signs of easing across parts of the US government. REUTERS