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From PGP to Mythos: a brief history of export controls that didn't stop anyone

techcrunch.com

June 20, 2026

5 min read

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55/100

Summary

The White House ordered Anthropic to restrict the export of its AI models Fable and Mythos due to national security concerns. Anthropic subsequently halted access to both models, making them unavailable for a week.

Key Takeaways

The White House ordered Anthropic to restrict the export of its AI models Fable and Mythos due to national security concerns, leading to their unavailability for a week.
Anthropic's Mythos was marketed as a powerful AI that could potentially disrupt the internet, with access limited to around 150 vetted organizations prior to the ban.
The U.S. government's history of using export controls to limit dangerous cyber technology has had mixed results, exemplified by past failures such as the PGP encryption controversy.
The Commerce Department's export control directive was triggered by concerns over a South Korean telecom's access to Mythos and reports of a security issue with Fable 5.

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Community Sentiment

Negative

Positives

The enforcement of export controls on closed-source AI models like Mythos is more feasible, potentially limiting access to powerful tools for adversarial nations.
The rapid advancement of AI capabilities, as seen with models like Fable, highlights the competitive landscape and the urgency for the US to innovate.
The discussion around AI export controls emphasizes the need for a strategic approach to maintain US competitiveness in the global tech market.

Concerns

Export controls are likely to backfire, accelerating the technical advancements of countries like China rather than slowing them down, which could harm US economic interests.
The commodification of advanced AI capabilities poses significant risks, as tools once limited to nation-state actors are now accessible to a broader range of malicious users.
There is skepticism about the long-term effectiveness of export controls, with concerns that they may not significantly hinder the development of AI in other countries.