Anthropic Co-Founder Confirms Company Briefed Trump Administration on Mysterious "Mythos" Project
Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark has confirmed that the artificial intelligence safety company briefed the Trump administration on a project known as "Mythos," even as the company maintains an active legal dispute with the federal government. Clark made the disclosure during an appearance at the Semafor World Economy summit this week.
Speaking at the high-profile economic forum, Clark addressed what many observers might consider a contradictory posture — engaging cooperatively with an administration that Anthropic is simultaneously suing. The co-founder offered insight into why the company believes maintaining open lines of communication with Washington remains essential despite the ongoing legal tensions.
Anthropic, which was founded in 2021 by former OpenAI researchers including Clark and CEO Dario Amodei, has positioned itself as one of the leading voices in AI safety. The company is behind the Claude family of AI models and has consistently advocated for thoughtful government engagement on AI regulation and development.
The briefing on Mythos underscores a broader trend among leading AI companies, who increasingly find themselves navigating complex relationships with government entities. As artificial intelligence becomes more strategically significant on a national and global scale, firms like Anthropic face pressure to cooperate with policymakers while also protecting their legal and commercial interests.
Clark's comments suggest Anthropic views its government engagement not as a contradiction but as a necessary component of responsible AI development. The company appears to believe that keeping federal officials informed about its work, including sensitive internal projects, serves a broader public interest regardless of any active litigation.
The details surrounding Mythos and the specific nature of the Trump administration briefings remain limited, though the disclosure itself signals that Anthropic's interactions with the current administration run deeper than previously publicly known. The story is likely to draw further scrutiny as both the AI industry and Washington continue to grapple with how to manage the rapid advancement of powerful AI systems.
