Anthropic’s flagship AI models, Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5, have been offline for roughly two and a half weeks after the US government intervened with an export control order citing national security risks. The shutdown, which began around June 12-13, marks one of the most dramatic collisions between federal authority and the AI industry to date.
What actually happened
The Trump administration’s concerns centered on vulnerabilities in both models that could potentially be exploited through “jailbreaking,” a technique where users manipulate an AI system into bypassing its built-in safety guardrails.
Anthropic, for its part, has described the situation as a potential misunderstanding. The company expressed regret for the disruption to users who suddenly found themselves locked out of tools they’d come to rely on.
By late June, the government relented slightly. Mythos 5 was partially reinstated for a select group of approved US cybersecurity professionals. Fable 5, however, remains under stricter limitations with no clear timeline for broader restoration.
