Fears of digital addiction came true for Anthropic – Europe wants to end naivety

Artificial intelligence company Anthropic said on Friday that, as a precaution, it had cut off all users’ access to the company’s most powerful Fable 5 and Mythos 5 language models. The decision was based on the US administration’s decision to block foreign users from accessing Anthropic’s latest AI models.

The EU Commission announced on Sunday that it will investigate the practical implications of Anthropic’s decision for European users, Reuters news.

“Highly effective artificial intelligence models are coming to the market. They offer significant benefits in areas such as cybersecurity. However, they also involve cybersecurity risks that must be taken into account,” European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier told Reuters.

“This development shows once again why Europe needs to strengthen its technological sovereignty,” he continued.

Anthropic’s decision has raised widespread concern in Europe about how dependent Europeans are on the services of US technology companies.

Among other things, the former interior minister of France Bruno Retailleau wrote in the message service X that Anthropic’s decision should serve as a reminder to Europeans.

“In the artificial intelligence race, a state that is dependent on others for its technology is a state that can be disconnected overnight. We must stop being naive and finally decide to strengthen our own technological power.”