Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell convened top banking executives to address the cybersecurity risks posed by Anthropic’s advanced artificial intelligence model, Mythos.
High-Level Government and Banking Meeting
Sources confirmed that a meeting was held at the US Treasury Department involving key financial leaders. The attendees included:
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent
- Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell
- CEOs of major financial institutions, including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Goldman Sachs.
This high-level gathering was focused specifically on evaluating the cybersecurity concerns surrounding the powerful AI model, Mythos.
The Mythos AI Model
Anthropic, a leading AI research lab, is the developer of Mythos. The model is currently restricted and has not been publicly released due to significant concerns regarding potential misuse by cybercriminals and foreign intelligence agencies.
Despite its restricted status, the model is being utilized for defensive purposes within the private sector. Anthropic has granted access to select companies, including JPMorgan Chase, Amazon, and Apple, allowing them to use Mythos for:
- Cyber defense applications.
- Identifying and finding bugs within their proprietary software.
Anthropic briefed senior government officials and industry stakeholders on the model's full capabilities, covering both offensive and defensive cyber applications.
National Security and AI Leadership
The discussion highlighted the strategic importance of AI technology to national security. Anthropic emphasized that:
- Securing critical infrastructure is a top national security priority for democratic nations.
- Maintaining a decisive technological lead in AI is crucial for the US and its allies.
Historically, the threat of cyberattacks has been a major concern for financial regulators. Chair Powell previously warned in 2021 that cyberattacks posed a greater threat to the global financial system than a traditional banking crisis.
*Note: Representatives from the major banks, the Federal Reserve, and the Treasury Department did not provide comment on the meeting.
