The Trump administration has moved to restrict access to Anthropic's most advanced artificial intelligence models, a decision rippling through Washington's relationships with key allies just as global AI leaders gathered at the G-7.
According to Wired, the White House's move to restrict Anthropic's Mythos 5 came after it ordered the company to revoke access for SK Telecom, the South Korea-based telecom giant, over claims of alleged ties to China. Wired reports that days before Anthropic took its most advanced AI models offline, the White House ordered the company to pull SK Telecom's access to Claude Mythos. SK Telecom sits at the center of the controversy.
The restrictions have unsettled U.S. allies. According to The Washington Post, Trump's Anthropic restrictions rattled allies as AI leaders convened at the G-7. The Wall Street Journal reports that Trump said negotiations with Anthropic were continuing even as those leaders huddled at the summit.
The fallout extends beyond the G-7 nations. According to CNBC's Inside India newsletter, the Anthropic curbs have ignited debate in India, where critics described the response so far as "too slow, way too small."
Together, the reporting points to a single thread: a U.S. government decision to wield access to a leading AI company's models as a lever in a broader contest over China and export controls — one that is now straining ties with partners from South Korea to India.
Why it matters: When access to frontier AI becomes a tool of foreign policy, allied governments and companies can suddenly find their technology plans subject to Washington's geopolitical calculations.