Anthropic cuts top-tier AI access after US foreigner ban

Anthropic said Friday it has cut access to two powerful artificial intelligence (AI) models after a United States government order citing national security concerns.

The sudden block marks a major escalation in Anthropic’s growing showdown with the Trump administration after failed negotiations earlier this year over potential US military and intelligence use of its technology .

The order is potentially a major setback for Anthropic's plans to take the company public later this year.

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The San Francisco-headquartered firm said in a statement that it received a directive to block its Claude Fable 5 and Claude Mythos 5 for all foreign nationals.

Fable 5 and Mythos 5 are the newest versions of the Claude AI model, released on June 9. The first is widely available to the public, while the latter is mostly restricted to vetted organizations.

The company said the ban applied to foreigners "whether inside or outside the United States, including foreign national Anthropic employees."

However, Anthropic said it had blocked access for all customers for now to ensure compliance.