SK Telecom at Center of Anthropic Mythos Export Control Dispute
Original: The Korean Telecom Giant at the Center of Anthropic’s Mythos Controversy
Why This Matters
Highlights regulatory pressure on AI development and tensions between US national security concerns and international AI access.
The Trump administration ordered Anthropic to revoke SK Telecom's access to Claude Mythos AI model over alleged China ties. The order also required revoking access for all foreign nationals, prompting Anthropic to take the models offline entirely.
Days before Anthropic took its most advanced AI models offline, the White House ordered the company to revoke South Korean telecom giant SK Telecom's access to Claude Mythos, citing alleged ties to China. The Trump administration's export controls followed SK Telecom receiving access to Mythos as part of Anthropic's Project Glasswing program, which granted access to roughly 150 trusted organizations. SK Telecom, South Korea's largest wireless carrier, had invested $100 million in Anthropic in 2023 and formed a commercial partnership with the company. US officials expressed concerns about SK Telecom's alleged connections to China. The situation escalated when Amazon flagged vulnerabilities in Fable 5, a safeguarded version of Mythos released publicly on June 9. Amazon researchers claimed guardrails could be circumvented to access Mythos' cybersecurity capabilities, though Anthropic and outside experts disputed this assessment as not unique to Claude. On Friday, the Trump administration ordered Anthropic to revoke Mythos and Fable 5 access for all foreign nationals, including immigrants inside the US. Rather than implement nationality-based restrictions, Anthropic disabled access entirely. SK Telecom subsequently stated it has no ties to China and that anonymous media reports lack verified facts. Negotiations between the White House and Anthropic over restoring the models remain ongoing.