Trump says Anthropic no longer a national security threat after CEO responds to AI export controls

Trump tells Axios he no longer views Anthropic as national security threat

June 19 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said he might have viewed artificial intelligence company Anthropic as a national security threat last week, but he no longer does, according to an interview with "The Axios Show" published on Friday. Senior Anthropic technical staff were scheduled to meet with Trump administration officials earlier this week to discuss a dispute over foreign access to its most advanced AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5. The company last ⁠week disabled access for all users to those models after Trump ordered Anthropic to block foreign nationals from accessing them. Here are some of the details from the Axios interview: Reporting by Ryan Patrick Jones in Toronto; Editing by Nia Williams Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

Trump tells Axios he no longer views Anthropic as a national security threat

President Donald Trump said he might have viewed artificial intelligence company Anthropic as a national security threat last week, but he no longer does, according to an interview with "The Axios Show" published on Friday. Senior Anthropic technical staff were scheduled to meet with Trump administration officials earlier this week to discuss a dispute over foreign access to its most advanced AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5. The company last week disabled access for all users to those models after Trump ordered Anthropic to block foreign nationals from accessing them. When asked if he viewed Anthropic, or its CEO Dario Amodei, as a threat to national security, Trump said: "Well, not now, but a week ago, maybe." Trump told Axios that Amodei responded to the administration's export control directive "very quickly" and "responsibly." Trump and other G7 leaders met with tech bosses, including Amodei, at a summit in France this week. Trump did not rule out using emergency powers under the Defense Production Act against Anthropic, according to Axios. "I have the power to use a lot of things," Trump said of the DPA. "But I'm not sure I have to do that." Asked to comment on Trump's interview, an Anthropic spokesperson said: "We are grateful to the administration for their ongoing partnership in working to get this matter resolved as quickly as possible. We remain committed to working alongside them towards our shared goals of protecting critical infrastructure and making sure the U.S. leads in AI."

Exclusive: Trump tells "The Axios Show" that Anthropic was a national security threat

* Between the Commerce Department's imposition of sweeping export controls and the Pentagon's designating it a supply chain risk, the company has faced treatment typically reserved for foreign adversaries. What they're saying: Axios' Marc Caputo asked Trump in a wide-ranging White House interview if he viewed Anthropic, or CEO Dario Amodei, as a threat to national security. * "Well, not now, but a week ago, maybe," the president said. * But he said he walked away from the G7 summit with the impression that Amodei was "nice" and "smart." * "He responded to us very quickly because you know it's a tremendous liability," Trump said. "People get put in prison immediately for that. You can't play games with that. And he responded very responsibly, I thought." Catch up quick: Last week the Trump administration restricted any country outside of the U.S., and foreign nationals within the U.S., from accessing Anthropic's most advanced models. * A report from Amazon detailing a vulnerability alarmed the administration, which took it to Anthropic leadership but felt dismissed. * Technical discussions in Washington ensued. The two sides are now reportedly working on standards to evaluate AI jailbreaks. * For Anthropic, it's been a matter of learning how to communicate with the administration as much as reaching an understanding on how the technology works. Yes, but: Trump did not rule out leveraging emergency powers under the Defense Production Act if the AI lab did not get in line, as was previously threatened during a dispute with the Pentagon. * "I have the power to use a lot of things," Trump said of the DPA. "But I'm not sure I have to do that." * "It was a competitor and a part owner that turned Anthropic in. They didn't like what they were doing. They were very concerned," Trump said of the concerns raised by Amazon. "I think so far it's been very responsible." For the record: "We are grateful to the administration for their ongoing partnership in working to get this matter resolved as quickly as possible," Anthropic said in a statement. * "We remain committed to working alongside them towards our shared goals of protecting critical infrastructure and making sure the U.S. leads in AI." Between the lines: The race to beat China on AI still outweighs the political clashes with Anthropic or its peers, in Trump's view. * Trump said he does not want to shut down Anthropic because the U.S. is beating China "by a lot." * "I was with President Xi. We talked about it. We're beating China by a lot," Trump said. "The good far outweighs the bad. We are going to find the bad and we're going to stop it." The bottom line: The relationship between the White House and Anthropic appears to be on the mend.

Trump Tells Axios He No Longer Views Anthropic as National Security Threat

June 19 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump ⁠said ⁠he might have viewed ⁠artificial intelligence company Anthropic as a national security threat last week, but he no longer does, according to an interview with "The Axios Show" published on Friday. Senior Anthropic technical staff were scheduled to meet with Trump ⁠administration officials ⁠earlier this week to discuss a dispute over foreign access to its most advanced AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5. The company last week disabled access for all users to those models after Trump ordered Anthropic to block foreign nationals from accessing them. Here ⁠are some ⁠of the details from ⁠the Axios interview: * When asked if he viewed Anthropic, or its CEO Dario Amodei, as a ⁠threat to national security, Trump said: "Well, not now, but a week ago, maybe." * Trump told Axios that Amodei responded to the administration's export control directive "very quickly" and "responsibly." * Trump and other G7 leaders met ⁠with tech bosses, including Amodei, at a summit in France this ⁠week. * Trump did not rule out using emergency powers under the Defense Production Act against Anthropic, according to Axios. * "I have the power to use a lot of things," Trump said of the DPA. "But I'm not sure I have to do that." * Asked to comment on Trump's interview, an Anthropic spokesperson said: "We are grateful to the administration for their ongoing partnership ⁠in working to get this matter resolved as quickly as possible. We remain committed to working alongside them towards our shared goals of protecting critical infrastructure and making sure the U.S. leads in AI." (Reporting by Ryan Patrick Jones in Toronto; Editing by Nia Williams)

Trump tells Axios he no longer views Anthropic as national security threat

June 19 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said he might have viewed artificial intelligence company Anthropic as a national security threat last week, but he no longer does, according to an interview with "The Axios Show" published on Friday. Senior Anthropic technical staff were scheduled to meet with Trump administration officials earlier this week to discuss a dispute over foreign access to its most advanced AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5. The company last week disabled access for all users to those models after Trump ordered Anthropic to block foreign nationals from accessing them. Here are some of the details from the Axios interview: o When asked if he viewed Anthropic, or its CEO Dario Amodei, as a threat to national security, Trump said: "Well, not now, but a week ago, maybe." o Trump told Axios that Amodei responded to the administration's export control directive "very quickly" and "responsibly." o Trump and other G7 leaders met with tech bosses, including Amodei, at a summit in France this week. o Trump did not rule out using emergency powers under the Defense Production Act against Anthropic, according to Axios. o "I have the power to use a lot of things," Trump said of the DPA. "But I'm not sure I have to do that." o Asked to comment on Trump's interview, an Anthropic spokesperson said: "We are grateful to the administration for their ongoing partnership in working to get this matter resolved as quickly as possible. We remain committed to working alongside them towards our shared goals of protecting critical infrastructure and making sure the U.S. leads in AI." (Reporting by Ryan Patrick Jones in Toronto; Editing by Nia Williams)