Anthropic Restrictions Add to Europe’s Tech Sovereignty Debate

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Artificial intelligence company Anthropic has restricted access to some of its most advanced AI models following a directive from US authorities, prompting renewed discussion in Europe about dependence on foreign technology providers.

The company said it was instructed to limit access to its Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models for foreign nationals because of national security concerns. The restrictions reportedly apply both to users outside the US and to foreign nationals residing in the country.

Anthropic was founded in 2021 by former OpenAI researchers and has become one of the largest developers of generative AI systems, whose Claude models are used by businesses, developers, and public-sector organizations around the world. The company has also positioned itself as a leading advocate of AI safety and government oversight of advanced AI systems.

Policymakers in Europe have recently been pursuing initiatives aimed at reducing reliance on foreign technology providers. For example, the European Commission announced new measures to support domestic AI development, cloud infrastructure, and semiconductor production as part of its efforts to improve the bloc's technological sovereignty.

Concerns around Antropic are focused on whether access to critical digital services could be affected by foreign policy, export controls, or national security measures introduced by other jurisdictions.

The issue extends beyond artificial intelligence. European officials have for several years argued that the region should reduce strategic dependencies in sectors including cloud computing, semiconductors, cybersecurity, and digital infrastructure.

While the long-term impact of the Anthropic restrictions remains unclear, the episode has added another example to the ongoing debate over how much control Europe has over the technologies used by its businesses, governments, and public institutions.