Trump Administration Lifts Export Controls on Anthropic's Mythos and Fable AI Models

The Commerce Department is removing export restrictions on Anthropic's most powerful AI models after the company struck a deal to strengthen safety safeguards. The move follows weeks of behind-the-scenes negotiations — and a notable shift in how Anthropic engaged with the administration.

The Trump administration is lifting export controls on Anthropic's two most advanced AI models — Fable 5 and Mythos 5 — following a deal struck with the Commerce Department. The decision was communicated in a letter from Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to Anthropic cofounder Tom Brown, viewed by WIRED.

What the Restrictions Covered

Both models had previously been approved only for release to select companies and government agencies. With the new agreement in place, that changes entirely.

"A license is no longer required for the export, reexport, or in-country transfer, including deemed export or deemed reexport, of the Mythos or Fable models," — Howard Lutnick, Commerce Secretary

The controls were originally put in place over concerns that users could bypass Fable's safety restrictions to access restricted capabilities — particularly those related to cybersecurity.

What Anthropic Agreed To

As part of the deal, Anthropic made several commitments to the administration:

Proactively detect and address security risks associated with the models
Work with the U.S. government on protocols, standards, and future model releases for Mythos, Fable, and beyond
Build more robust safeguards to reduce the number of jailbreaks

Lutnick led the administration's efforts to resolve the dispute alongside national cyber director Sean Cairncross.

A Shift in Strategy — and Messenger

Anthropiq initially pushed back, arguing the administration's security concerns were overblown and that eliminating jailbreaks entirely was technically impossible. That position didn't land well.

In recent weeks, the company changed its approach — both in substance and in tone. WIRED previously reported that CEO Dario Amodei was replaced in key meetings by Tom Brown, whom administration officials reportedly found more personally agreeable.

Rather than relitigating whether jailbreaks can ever be fully stopped, Anthropic shifted to assuring officials it would actively work to reduce them — effectively telling the administration what it wanted to hear to get Fable back online.