US lifts export controls on powerful AI models, Anthropic says

Published on 01/07/2026 - 5:46 GMT+2

The US government has lifted restrictions on powerful AI models, such as Fable 5 and Mythos 5, according to Anthropic, the AI firm behind the popular chat model 'Claude'.

The company will soon begin restoring global access to its most powerful AI models, it said on Tuesday.

Posting on X, Anthropic said: "We've received notice that the Department of Commerce has lifted export controls on Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5," adding, "We'll begin restoring access tomorrow."

Earlier this month, US authorities blocked access to the models on national security grounds.

Just four days ago, the company said it had received government authorisation for a small group of American cybersecurity firms to access Mythos 5.

The US government abruptly forced artificial intelligence lab Anthropic to cut off access to its two cutting-edge models on 12 June, following the discovery of vulnerabilities in safeguards designed to prevent misuse of the tool.

The restriction has now been lifted after a letter seen by US media indicated that the Trump administration was satisfied, at least for now, that Anthropic had "taken steps in close coordination with the U.S. government to address the risks associated with Claude Mythos 5 and Claude Fable 5."

The process is not optimal, Altman says

The intervention underscores Washington's growing scrutiny of advanced AI technologies. Like Anthropic, rival AI lab OpenAI has also complied with requests from the US government to restrict the release of its own powerful new model, GPT-5.6, to a limited set of approved partners.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman expressed some reservations about the current regulatory approach, stating on Friday in a post on X alongside an explanation of the GPT-5.6 launch: "This isn't quite the process that we think is optimal."