US officials expressed concern over SK Telecom's alleged ties to China, which led to Anthropic halting its AI models Fable 5 and Claude Mythos. The White House ordered Anthropic to cut access to SK Telecom through its partner program Project Glasswing, and the company complied immediately. SK Telecom denied any China connections to a Korean newspaper, but it is part of the broader SK Group, which has significant business interests in China and previously held a stake in China Unicom until 2009.
Security flaws in Fable 5, flagged by Amazon and other companies, further eroded confidence in Anthropic. These flaws could potentially bypass safety restrictions, contributing to the White House's decision to force both models offline. The situation highlights the growing scrutiny on AI safety and international partnerships in the tech industry.
The White House told Anthropic to cut off SK Telecom's access to its models, leading to their shutdown. SK Telecom denied any China connections, but its parent company's history with China raised concerns. The security flaws in Fable 5 added to the crisis, prompting the White House to lose confidence in Anthropic's safety protocols.
Source: thedecoder
