The Trump administration lifts export controls on Anthropic’s two most powerful AI models after the company reached a deal with the Commerce Department. The news was communicated in a letter sent by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to Anthropic co-founder Tom Brown, seen by WIRED.
The department is lifting restrictions on the Fable 5 model and the more powerful Mythos 5 model, which were previously banned. approved for release only for certain businesses and government agencies. “A license is no longer required for the export, re-export, or transfer into the country, including the export or deemed re-export, of the Mythos or Fable models,” Lutnick wrote.
These developments come as Anthropic works with the Commerce Department and the White House to strengthen safeguards against users who circumvent Fable’s security restrictions to access restricted features, particularly those related to cybersecurity, according to people familiar with the matter.
“Among other things, Anthropic has agreed to proactively detect and address security risks associated with the models; to work diligently with the U.S. government on protocols, standards and releases for Mythos, Fable and future models,” Lutnick wrote.
Lutnick led the Trump administration’s efforts to resolve its dispute with Anthropic alongside National Cybersecurity Director Sean Cairncross.
Anthropic initially argued that the administration’s security concerns were overblown. The company said it could not guarantee that there would be no jailbreaks that could unlock the most powerful capabilities of its restricted Mythos model.
In recent weeks, Anthropic has changed course in an attempt to bring Fable back online, which has also involved a change in the company’s communication style with the administration. CABLE previously reported that Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei was recently replaced in meetings with Brown, whom officials liked more on a personal level.
Anthropic also assured the administration that it would try to reduce the number of jailbreaks by putting more robust safeguards in place, effectively telling the administration what it wanted to hear rather than reigniting the conceptual question of whether jailbreaks can be stopped, the sources said.
Updated 6/30/26 at 7:53 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to include references to a letter sent by the Commerce Department to Anthropic viewed by WIRED.
