Vice President JD Vance and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent convened a crucial phone call last week with leading technology CEOs to scrutinize the cybersecurity vulnerabilities of artificial intelligence models. This high-stakes discussion took place shortly before Anthropic’s highly anticipated release of its new “Mythos” AI model. The meeting underscores a growing federal concern regarding the potential misuse of advanced AI by malicious actors.
Two individuals with direct knowledge of the private discussions, who requested anonymity, confirmed the call’s details. Participating in the conversation were prominent figures from the AI landscape, including Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic; Elon Musk, CEO of xAI; Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google; Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI; Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft; George Kurtz, CEO of CrowdStrike; and Nikesh Arora, CEO of Palo Alto Networks.
The core agenda of the meeting focused on assessing the security posture of large language models (LLMs) and establishing robust protocols for their safe deployment. Discussions also delved into contingency plans for responding to scenarios where AI models could be scaled to amplify the capabilities of attackers.
An Anthropic spokesperson declined to comment on the specifics of the meeting. However, the company affirmed its engagement with senior government officials in recent weeks concerning AI cybersecurity. Anthropic has reportedly offered its resources to support the government’s “own testing and evaluation of the technology.”
“Prior to any external release, Anthropic briefed senior officials across the U.S. government on Mythos Preview’s full capabilities, including both its offensive and defensive cyber applications,” the spokesperson stated. “Bringing government into the loop early — on what the model can do, where the risks are, and how we’re managing them — was a priority from the start.”
Both OpenAI and CrowdStrike declined to comment on the meeting. The White House and other involved companies have not yet responded to requests for comment.
Anthropic initiated a limited rollout of its Mythos AI model to select companies on Tuesday, simultaneously exploring methods to preempt its exploitation by hackers. Initial launch partners reportedly include Apple, Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, Palo Alto Networks, and CrowdStrike.
The heightened governmental focus on advanced AI security extends beyond the tech sector. Earlier this week, Secretary Bessent, alongside Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, held an unannounced meeting with the chief executives of major U.S. banks to discuss the potential threats posed by the Mythos model. This development signals continued apprehension from the current administration regarding sophisticated cyber tools.
This engagement also indicates that Anthropic remains a key player in White House discussions surrounding AI, even as President Donald Trump has publicly expressed intentions to restrict the startup’s “Claude” platform from federal agency use.
Adding to the complexity of Anthropic’s relationship with the government, the company is engaged in ongoing legal battles concerning its “supply chain risk” designation by the Department of Defense. These legal proceedings have yielded conflicting rulings from federal courts.
A federal appeals court recently denied Anthropic’s request for a temporary injunction to block the blacklisting. This decision followed a previous ruling by a federal judge in San Francisco, who had granted Anthropic’s request for a preliminary injunction in a separate legal challenge. Consequently, Anthropic is currently barred from securing Department of Defense contracts but can continue collaborating with other federal agencies while these cases are adjudicated.
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