US Okays Anthropic Mythos 5 AI for Trusted US Cyber Firms

US restores Anthropic's Mythos 5 AI to critical infrastructure firms two weeks after Trump ban over China fears.

Anthropic Mythos 5 AI approved by US government for trusted cybersecurity firms

The United States government has given Anthropic the green light to bring back its most powerful cybersecurity AI model but not for everyone.

Anthropic announced on Friday that Washington has authorized the release of Claude Mythos 5 to a select group of American cybersecurity firms that defend critical infrastructure.

"Today, 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 company said in a statement.

Anthropic added that it is restoring access quickly and is still talking with officials to expand access to Mythos 5 and to bring its other top model, Fable 5, back for general use.

This U-turn comes just two weeks after the Trump administration blocked both models nationwide.

On June 12, Anthropic was forced to abruptly pull Mythos 5 and Fable 5 from all users after a government order restricting their release. It was the latest flashpoint in what has been a tense relationship between the AI lab and the White House for months.

Why the sudden block? Officials cited national security fears — specifically that frontier models like Mythos 5 could be copied or misused by military intelligence actors in China, Russia, and other rivals.

The administration said it wanted tighter oversight of how Anthropic and rivals like OpenAI release their most advanced systems. Critics, however, called it government overreach.

The big question now is: who decides who is 'trusted'?

Washington has not explained how it will vet companies or what criteria it will use. That has sparked fresh debate in Silicon Valley.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman weighed in on X, saying extensive safety testing "is not a bad idea. I just don't like the idea of the government picking the customers."

According to a source familiar with the directive who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, more than 100 companies and institutions will now get access to Mythos 5, including several Fortune 500 firms.

For Anthropic, the partial restoration is a relief, but the fight is not over. The company says it wants Mythos 5 and Fable 5 fully available again — not just for a handpicked list approved in Washington.