Why Anthropic won't release its new Claude Mythos AI model to the public

Add NBC News to GoogleAnthropic says newest AI model is too powerful to release to public05:58Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 8, 2026, 5:42 PM EDTBy Jared Perlo and Kevin CollierExperts and software engineers warn that Anthropic’s new AI model could usher in a new era of hacking and cybersecurity as AI systems capable of advanced reasoning identify and exploit a growing number of software vulnerabilities.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Citing the potential damage that could result from a wider public release, leading AI company Anthropic released the cutting-edge model, called Claude Mythos Preview, to a limited group of tech companies Tuesday. The model is the latest in Anthropic’s Claude series of AI systems. Its release was previewed at the end of March, when Fortune identified its mention in an unsecured database on Anthropic’s website. Anthropic’s researchers say Mythos Preview was able to detect thousands of high- and critical-severity bugs and software defects, with vulnerabilities identified in most major operating systems and web browsers. Anthropic said some of the vulnerabilities had been undiscovered for decades. While some outside experts called for caution in interpreting the new results given limited public information about the identified vulnerabilities, many others said the model’s debut and Anthropic’s caution were significant.“It’s all very much real,” Katie Moussour...