Anthropic and its CEO, Dario Amodei, appear to be winning the trust of US President Donald Trump. In a recent interview, Trump said that Amodei responded "very responsibly" after the White House raised concerns about the AI company's technology, adding that issues involving national security and advanced AI cannot be taken lightly.
In an interview with Axios, Trump said, "He responded to us very quickly because you know it's a tremendous liability. People get put in prison immediately for that. You can't play games with that. And he responded very responsibly, I thought."
Shift in Trump's View
The remarks mark a shift in Trump's view of Anthropic. When asked whether he considered the company or its CEO a threat to national security, the US President replied, "Well, not now, but a week ago, maybe." Trump added that his impression of Amodei improved following discussions around the issue and meetings during the G7 summit, describing the Anthropic chief executive as "nice" and "smart."
Concerns Leading to Restrictions
The comments come after the Trump administration imposed restrictions on access to Anthropic's most advanced AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, by foreign nationals in the US and users outside the country. According to Axios, concerns emerged after an Amazon report highlighted a potential vulnerability involving Anthropic's AI systems. The report reportedly prompted discussions between administration officials and Anthropic leadership, followed by technical talks in Washington. The two sides are now said to be working on standards to evaluate AI jailbreaks and model security.
Trump suggested that Anthropic's handling of the situation helped ease concerns within the administration. "It was a competitor and a part owner that turned Anthropic in. They didn't like what they were doing. They were very concerned. I think so far it's been very responsible," Trump said of the concerns raised by Amazon.
No Emergency Powers Needed
The US President also indicated that he does not currently see a need to use emergency powers against the company. "I have the power to use a lot of things. But I'm not sure I have to do that," Trump said of the Defense Production Act.
Anthropic acknowledged the ongoing discussions and said it remains committed to working with US officials. "We are grateful to the administration for their ongoing partnership in working to get this matter resolved as quickly as possible. We remain committed to working alongside them towards our shared goals of protecting critical infrastructure and making sure the U.S. leads in AI," the company said in a statement.
Commitment to US Leadership
Despite the recent tensions, Trump indicated that he does not want to hinder Anthropic's growth, arguing that maintaining US leadership in artificial intelligence remains a priority. "I was with President Xi. We talked about it. We're beating China by a lot. The good far outweighs the bad. We are going to find the bad and we're going to stop it," Trump noted.
