The Korean telecom giant is at the center of the Anthropic Mythology controversy

Trump administration Move to impose export controls on Anthropists The most powerful artificial intelligence technology This came after a row over South Korean telecom giant SK Telecom granting access to the Claude Mythos model, according to people familiar with the matter. These people said US officials were concerned about what they claimed were SK Telecom’s ties to China.

These concerns appear to have been exacerbated when… Amazon later flagged the vulnerabilities To the White House is set in Fable 5, a highly protected version of the Mythos that Anthropic released to the public on June 9. Amazon researchers claimed that it was possible to circumvent some of Fable 5’s guardrails and access the Mythos’ massive cyber capabilities, despite Anthropic and External cybersecurity experts They argued that these risks are not unique to Claude.

It was a confluence of events that ultimately led the White House to decide that it could not trust Anthropic to protect its most advanced AI technology, according to a person close to the administration. On Friday, the Trump administration ordered Anthropic to do so Revoke access to Mythos and Fable 5 For all foreign citizens, including immigrants within the United States.

Instead of accessing its technology based on nationality, a difficult process to do while also maintaining privacy, Anthropic decided it was better to disable access to the models entirely. The White House and Anthropy are still there Remain at odds After days of negotiations about bringing Cloud Mythos and Fable 5 back online.

Anthropic declined to comment. The White House and SK Telecom did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Washington Post previously reported that Trump administration officials were alarmed when they learned that Methos recipients included “South Korean telecommunications company“They are believed to have ties to China, although the article did not mention the name of the company. In response to that report, SK Telecom He told a Korean newspaper “The anonymous source’s statements in foreign media lack verified facts, and our company has no relations with China.”

A person close to Anthropic said the company views SK Telecom’s access to Mythos and the vulnerabilities identified by Amazon as separate issues. They pointed that out message The US government has sent Anthropic a request to restrict access to Claude Mythos and Fable 5 only to US citizens, and does not mention the Korean company or China.

Because Claude Mythos is exceptionally skilled at identifying software vulnerabilities, Anthropic Restrict early access To a small group of trusted organizations through a program called Project Glasswing. Earlier this month, SK Telecom, South Korea’s largest wireless carrier, became one of about 150 companies to gain access to Mythos as Anthropic expands the program.”After several weeks of close cooperation“With outside experts and the US government.

SK Telecom has injected capital into Anthropic several times, including a 100 million dollars Investment in 2023, which coincided with the formation of A Business partnership To develop an AI model specifically designed for the telecommunications industry. It was one of several Korean organizations involved in the Glasswing project, along with Samsung Electronics and the Korea Internet and Security Agency.

Earlier this month, shortly after Anthropic announced the latest expansion of Project Glasswing, the White House asked Anthropic to revoke SK Telecom’s access to Mythos, according to a person close to the AI ​​lab. Sources told WIRED that the company complied immediately, and the US government did not threaten to place export controls on the model at the time.

While SK Telecom itself does not appear to have significant operations in China, it is part of a much larger conglomerate called SK Group, whose subsidiaries maintain extensive business interests in the country spanning semiconductors, energy and other industries.