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NSA spies are reportedly using Anthropic’s Mythos, despite Pentagon feud

The National Security Agency has begun using Anthropic's Mythos Preview, an unreleased 'frontier' model designed for cybersecurity tasks, to scan for vulnerabilities. This comes despite the Pentagon labeling Anthropic a 'supply chain risk' after the company refused to grant unrestricted access to its Claude model for mass surveillance and autonomous weapons projects. Mythos access is limited to about 40 organizations, including the NSA and the UK's AI Security Institute, with partners like JP Mo

Key Points

  • The NSA is using Anthropic's unreleased 'Mythos' AI model to scan environments for exploitable vulnerabilities.
  • The Pentagon has labeled Anthropic a 'supply chain risk' after the company refused to provide unrestricted access to its Claude model for mass surveillance and autonomous weapons.
  • Mythos access is limited to about 40 organizations, including the NSA and the UK's AI Security Institute, with named partners like JP Morgan, Amazon, and Apple.
  • Anthropic's relationship with the White House is improving, with CEO Dario Amodei meeting senior officials, even as legal disputes with the DoD continue.

Full Details

The National Security Agency has begun using Anthropic's Mythos Preview, an unreleased 'frontier' model designed for cybersecurity tasks, to scan for vulnerabilities. This comes despite the Pentagon labeling Anthropic a 'supply chain risk' after the company refused to grant unrestricted access to its Claude model for mass surveillance and autonomous weapons projects. Mythos access is limited to about 40 organizations, including the NSA and the UK's AI Security Institute, with partners like JP Morgan, Amazon, and Apple. Meanwhile, Anthropic's CEO Dario Amodei met with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, signaling a thaw in relations even as legal disputes with the DoD persist.

Why It Matters

This rift could complicate US AI policy, as agencies like the NSA and Pentagon diverge on risk assessment, potentially affecting procurement and collaboration with AI firms.For AI companies, it underscores the balancing act between serving government clients and maintaining ethical boundaries, which could influence market positioning and partnerships.The situation may accelerate debates on AI regulation, as lawmakers grapple with how to govern tools that are both offensive and defensive in national security contexts.

Sourcetechcrunch.com

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