April 20 (Reuters) - Anthropic earlier this month debuted Mythos, its most advanced AI model to date, equipped with sophisticated capabilities and designed for defensive cybersecurity tasks.
Mythos' vast capabilities have sparked fears about the threat to traditional software security after the AI startup said the preview had uncovered "thousands" of major vulnerabilities in "every major operating system and web browser."
HOW WAS THE MODEL LAUNCHED AND WHO HAD ACCESS TO IT?
Anthropic has rolled out
Claude Mythos Preview through a controlled initiative called "Project Glasswing", granting access to tech majors including Amazon, Microsoft, Nvidia and Apple.
The company also extended access to a group of more than 40 additional organizations that build or maintain critical software infrastructure.
WHAT ARE THE CONCERNS AROUND MYTHOS?
Experts warned that the model can identify and exploit previously unknown vulnerabilities faster than companies can repair them.
Its advanced coding and autonomous capabilities could dramatically accelerate sophisticated cyberattacks, particularly in sectors such as banking that rely on complex, interconnected and often decades-old technology systems, they have said.
While debuting Mythos, Anthropic said the model's ability to find software flaws at scale could, if misused, pose serious risks to economies, public safety and national security.
U.S. software stocks tumbled on April 9 after the Mythos launch on April 7 reignited fears that advances in AI could disrupt traditional firms.
WHAT HAS THE WHITE HOUSE AND REGULATORS SAID ABOUT MYTHOS?
The White House has held discussions with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei about Mythos, with officials saying they talked about collaboration, cybersecurity and balancing AI innovation with safety. The talks were held despite the Pentagon slapping a formal supply-chain risk designation on Anthropic.
The U.S. government is planning to make a version of Mythos available to major federal agencies, Bloomberg News has reported.
Reuters reported that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell held a meeting with CEOs of major U.S. banks to brief them on the potential risks from the model.
The model also raised alarm bells in Britain, with authorities holding talks with major banks and cybersecurity officials to assess possible risks.
Banks are in close contact with their European regulators regarding Mythos, Christian Sewing, president of the German banking association and CEO of Deutsche Bank, said.
(Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru)
