- President Trump no longer sees Anthropic as security threat.
- Commerce Department previously restricted Anthropic’s advanced AI models.
- Anthropic quickly addressed concerns, easing immediate government intervention.
President Donald Trump said he no longer considers artificial intelligence company Anthropic a national security threat, only days after his administration imposed restrictions on foreign access to the company’s most advanced AI models.
In a pre-recorded interview with Axios released on Friday, Trump said Anthropic had acted responsibly in addressing the administration’s concerns. Bloomberg reported that the remarks came after the US Commerce Department directed the company to obtain government approval before allowing foreign nationals to access its latest Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models.
“He responded to us very quickly, because you know it’s tremendous liability,” Trump said, referring to Anthropic Chief Executive Officer Dario Amodei. The president added that he met Amodei and several technology executives during the Group of Seven summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, on Wednesday.
Trump Softens His Position
When asked whether he viewed Anthropic and its chief executive as national security threats, Trump replied: “Well, not now. But a week ago, maybe.”
His comments signal a notable shift in tone following the administration’s recent move to tighten oversight of the company’s most advanced artificial intelligence systems.
Trump also indicated that his administration does not currently intend to shut down the company. He argued that the United States continues to maintain an advantage over China in the global artificial intelligence race.
Commerce Department Intervention Raises Stakes
The Commerce Department’s directive issued last week marked one of the most significant government interventions into the operations of an artificial intelligence company.
The move has created fresh challenges for Anthropic only weeks after the company confidentially filed for an initial public offering. Its latest valuation has reportedly surpassed $900 billion.
Senior technical executives from Anthropic met officials from the Trump administration this week as the company attempted to address concerns surrounding the use and international access of its newest models.
Also Read: RBI Repo Rate Changes Can Impact Your Home Loan EMI, Here’s How To Stay Prepared
Export Restrictions Follow New AI Releases
The administration imposed export restrictions on Anthropic’s tools on June 12, shortly after the release of the company’s upgraded Claude Fable 5 and the more advanced Mythos 5 models.
Washington cited concerns over so-called “jailbreaking”, where prompts are designed to bypass built-in safety restrictions. Officials argued that such vulnerabilities could create national security risks.
Anthropic disputed those concerns, saying the risks were relatively minor, overstated and comparable to issues affecting competing artificial intelligence systems.
Pentagon Dispute Deepens Tensions
The latest dispute adds to months of tensions between Anthropic and the US government.
The company has been engaged in a prolonged disagreement with the Pentagon over additional safeguards it wanted to maintain for military applications of its artificial intelligence tools.
Earlier this year, Anthropic refused to remove restrictions related to the mass surveillance of US citizens and the development of fully autonomous lethal weapons systems. After contract negotiations broke down in March, the Department of Defense designated the company a supply chain risk and began exploring alternative AI providers for military programmes.
The Pentagon also threatened to cancel contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars, prompting Anthropic to pursue legal action.
Also Read: Jio Vs Starlink: Why Ambani And Musk Are Headed For A Space Showdown In India
Safety-First Approach Sets Anthropic Apart
Anthropic has developed a reputation as one of the most cautious companies in the race to develop advanced artificial intelligence systems.
The company follows a safety-focused strategy known as Constitutional AI, in which its models are trained to evaluate and critique their own outputs against a set of written principles.
At the Group of Seven summit in Évian, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for broader and more inclusive access to American artificial intelligence models, adding another dimension to the growing international debate over access, regulation and security.
