The Trump administration ordered Anthropic to cut off foreign access to its advanced AI models, Mythos 5 and Fable 5, citing national security concerns, prompting the company to take the systems offline globally. The sweeping move—applied to allies as well as adversaries—jolted European capitals reliant on U.S. AI, with French President Emmanuel Macron calling the restrictions a nationalist overreach and urging coordinated democratic governance of frontier models.
G7 leaders discussed a potential “trusted partner” regime for access to cutting-edge AI, reviving debates over the “small yard, high fence” approach briefly used for advanced chips in 2025. While the Trump team later allowed limited H200 chip sales to some Chinese firms, the Anthropic action has intensified calls among U.S. partners for technological self-reliance. European officials highlighted the risks of dependency, and some pointed to domestic alternatives such as Paris-based Mistral, while scrutiny of U.S. vendors like Palantir has grown. The episode underscores how AI controls are becoming a lever of geopolitical power—with potential to redraw commercial and security alignments across the Atlantic.
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Artificial Intelligence Act (European Union)
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