European Commission warns US export controls on Anthropic should not discriminate against partners

Anthropic's export ban 'should not be discriminatory,' Commission says

Brussels pushes back after Americans-only order locks Europeans out of Anthropic's top AI models, calling out discriminatory practices. The US government's decision to impose export controls on Anthropic's most powerful AI models is drawing scrutiny from the European Commission, which is assessing the implications for EU users. On Friday, the Trump administration issued a directive banning foreign nationals from using Anthropic's Fable 5 and Mythos 5 AI models, citing national security concerns, and forcing the company to cut off access for all non-US users, including Europeans. Fable 5 and Mythos 5 are considered state-of-the-art models. Access had initially been restricted to a select group of users to assess their potential to identify and exploit vulnerabilities for cyberattacks. "We are seeing a new generation of highly capable AI models reach the market. These models offer significant benefits, including for cyber-defence, but they also raise serious cybersecurity concerns that need to be addressed," European Commission spokesperson for tech sovereignty Thomas Regnier said on Sunday. "This is a shared challenge, not one confined to a single jurisdiction or company. We believe that contingency measures taken in this light should not be discriminatory against partners," he added. For the Commission, the episode is another illustration that Europe needs to strengthen its technological sovereignty, and that existing EU laws on cybersecurity and AI can help the bloc manage these emerging risks on its own terms. "We are looking closely at the practical consequences of this for European users of these services," Regnier said. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei will join G7 leaders and the chief executives of other leading AI companies for a working lunch on Tuesday.

EU Commission looking at practical consequences of Anthropic decision, spokesperson says

The EU is scrutinizing US export controls on advanced AI models, citing potential discrimination against partners. AI firm Anthropic is disabling its top models for foreign nationals due to national security concerns. The European Commission emphasizes the need for non-discriminatory measures and Europe's technological independence. The European Commission said on Sunday that it is assessing the practical implications of a U.S. export control directive impacting artificial intelligence company Anthropic and that measures should ⁠not ⁠be discriminatory against partners. Anthropic said on Friday it would "abruptly disable" its most advanced AI models for all users after the U.S. government ordered it to suspend access to the models for ⁠foreign nationals, citing national security concerns. "We are seeing a new generation of ⁠highly capable AI models reach the market. These models offer significant benefits, including for cyber-defence, but they also raise serious cybersecurity concerns that need to be addressed," European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said in a statement. "We believe that contingency measures taken in this light should not be discriminatory against ⁠partners," he said. "This development is a further illustration of why Europe needs to strengthen its technological sovereignty," Regnier said. "We are looking closely at the practical consequences of this for European users of these services."

EU Commission looking at practical consequences of Anthropic decision, spokesperson says

BRUSSELS, June 14 (Reuters) - The European Commission said on Sunday that it is assessing the practical implications of a U.S. export control directive impacting artificial intelligence company Anthropic and that measures should not be discriminatory against partners. Anthropic said on Friday it would "abruptly disable" its most advanced AI models for all users after the U.S. government ordered it to suspend access to the models for foreign nationals, citing national security concerns. "We are seeing a new generation of highly capable AI models reach the market. These models offer significant benefits, including for cyber-defence, but they also raise serious cybersecurity concerns that need to be addressed," European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said in a statement. "We believe that contingency measures taken in this light should not be discriminatory against partners," he said. "This development is a further illustration of why Europe needs to strengthen its technological sovereignty," Regnier said. "We are looking closely at the practical consequences of this for European users of these services." (Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Writing by Lili Bayer)