Anthropic disabled access to its two most advanced AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, after receiving a U.S. government export-control order barring their use by foreign nationals. The company said the directive, issued on national security grounds, required it to suspend access not only for foreign customers but also for its own non-U.S. employees. Customers began reporting outages over the weekend.
Anthropic said it believes the order stems from a misunderstanding and is working to restore access. The company stated that officials had verbally notified it of a possible, limited “jailbreak” affecting Fable 5, but said it disagreed that the issue justified a broad suspension. The Wall Street Journal reported that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick sent the restrictions to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. The Commerce Department and Pentagon did not respond to TIME’s requests for comment.
The order represents a new use of export controls in AI policy. The U.S. has previously restricted advanced semiconductor sales, but not access to AI models themselves. The decision follows tensions between Anthropic and the Trump Administration after the company declined to permit military use of its models in fully autonomous weapons systems.
Fable 5, released earlier in the week, was described by Anthropic as its most capable generally available model, with particular strength in identifying software vulnerabilities. The company had acknowledged cybersecurity risks and said safeguards were in place to prevent misuse. The government’s concern appears to be that those safeguards may be bypassed.
The timing may complicate Anthropic’s business plans, as the company is expected to pursue an initial public offering amid competition from other major AI firms. The shutdown has also prompted discussion abroad about AI sovereignty and dependence on U.S.-based technology. Analysts noted that the move underscores Washington’s influence over access to frontier AI systems and the limited near-term ability of other countries to develop comparable alternatives.