UK government denies seeking carve-out from US AI export controls on Anthropic models

The UK has flatly denied that Prime Minister Keir Starmer sought an exemption from sweeping US export controls that effectively killed global access to Anthropic’s most powerful AI models. The denial came just as G7 leaders sat down for lunch with tech CEOs in Evian-les-Bains, France.

The US Commerce Department imposed the controls on or around June 12, targeting Anthropic’s Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models over what officials described as a “non-universal jailbreak risk,” meaning the models’ built-in safety guardrails could potentially be bypassed. Anthropic responded by disabling access to both models entirely, pulling the plug on users worldwide rather than risk non-compliance.

What actually happened with the export controls

The directive, reportedly signed by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, landed at roughly 5:21 p.m. ET and went further than many expected. It suspended access for all foreign nationals globally, a category that includes US-based Anthropic employees who aren’t American citizens.

The move marks a notable invocation of the 2018 Export Control Reform Act, this time targeting AI model access directly rather than the semiconductor hardware that typically falls under such restrictions.

Reports emerged that UK AI adviser Jade Leung had previously lobbied Washington for Britain to be placed on approved access lists, essentially seeking preferred-nation status for these advanced tools. A UK government spokesperson denied that Starmer had actively pursued any carve-out, drawing a careful line between informal advocacy and formal diplomatic requests.

Decentralized AI tokens catch a bid

Venice (VVV) and Morpheus (MOR), two tokens tied to decentralized AI infrastructure projects, rallied between 14% and 21% in the wake of the Anthropic restrictions.

What this means for investors watching the AI-crypto intersection

The Anthropic export controls represent a new category of regulatory risk. Directly restricting access to trained models turns AI capabilities into something that looks a lot like a controlled substance, available only to approved parties in approved jurisdictions.

Traders should also watch how other G7 nations respond. If the UK, France, or Japan successfully negotiate access frameworks with Washington, the urgency behind decentralized alternatives fades. Any expansion of the export control framework to additional models would amplify both the geopolitical tensions and the speculative interest in decentralized alternatives.

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