The U.S. government ordered Anthropic to disable its two most advanced AI models and block all public access worldwide on Friday, June 12 [1].

This move signals an escalation in federal oversight of artificial intelligence, prioritizing national security over the commercial availability of frontier models. By restricting access globally, the U.S. is treating high-capability AI as a sensitive technology subject to strict export controls.

The U.S. Department of Commerce issued the export-control order [3]. As a result, Anthropic suspended access to Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5 [2]. The shutdown affects all users worldwide, including foreign nationals [4].

Officials said national-security and export-control concerns regarding the advanced capabilities of these specific models were the reason [5]. The Department of Commerce said the models posed risks that necessitated an immediate cessation of public availability [1].

Anthropic complied with the order by disabling the models on June 12 [1]. The company's action removes the most powerful versions of its Claude series from the global market, a shift that impacts both individual users and enterprises relying on the technology [3].

The order follows a pattern of increasing scrutiny regarding how AI capabilities might be leveraged by foreign adversaries. By blocking global access, the U.S. government aims to prevent the proliferation of high-tier AI tools that could be used to undermine security interests [5].

“The U.S. government ordered Anthropic to disable its two most advanced AI models”

The decision to disable Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5 globally indicates that the U.S. government now views certain AI capabilities as strategic assets similar to advanced semiconductors or military hardware. By utilizing export-control mechanisms to shut down a commercial product, the Department of Commerce has established a precedent for intervening in the AI lifecycle to prevent potential security leaks or misuse by foreign entities.