Anthropic has dispatched about six engineers to the National Security Agency to help spies use its cutting-edge cybersecurity AI model, Mythos, the Financial Times reported, citing anonymous sources.
The engineers are tasked with helping intelligence agencies use Mythos for specific applications, the report said. However, it is unclear whether Engineers or Mythos are actively used in government hacking operations.
The NSA is tasked with conducting offensive cyberattacks against foreign adversaries as well as gathering information from wiretaps, undersea cables, corporate partnerships, and other covert means.
The FT's report added to an earlier Axios story in April that said the NSA was using Mythos despite the federal government's ban on using Anthropic's technology. The ban followed the Pentagon's decision to designate Anthropic as a “supply chain risk” in retaliation for the government's failure to allow its models to be used for domestic mass surveillance or autonomous weapons.
The latest report comes as governments scramble to gain access to Mythos, which Anthropic claims had to be restricted due to concerns that its cybersecurity features could be exploited to discover security flaws and carry out hacks.
When contacted by TechCrunch, an NSA spokesperson declined to confirm or deny the report. Anthropic did not respond to a request for comment.