Powerful AI models capable of disrupting new cyberattacks on governments and businesses are only months away, the Five Eyes intelligence agencies warned in an unprecedented joint statement, urging leaders to “act now”.
The surprising public intervention by the signals agencies of Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Canada came after the Trump administration’s decision earlier this month to block “foreign nationals” from using a much-touted AI model called “Fable” built by tech company Anthropic.
The statement, released late Monday night Sydney time, said AI “will help improve cyber defenses over time, but will also accelerate the speed, scale and sophistication of cyber threats.”
“Frontier AI models are expected to exceed current industry expectations and fundamentally transform the cyber capabilities of attackers and defenders. The timeline is months, not years,” the Five Eyes agency warns.
“Cyber resiliency is essential in this environment to enhance business continuity, market confidence, and long-term value.”
Cybersecurity officials said the leap forward in AI models shows the technology lowers the barrier for bad actors and increases the speed and complexity of attacks.
“This requires a response from the entire organization and society as a whole,” the statement continued.
“Cyber risk can no longer be treated as a purely technical issue. It is a core business risk and the responsibility of leaders.”
Although the statement did not name any AI models or companies, many people around the world have taken note of Anthropic’s advanced tooling layer.
One of the tech giant’s latest inventions is called Fable 5, which is billed as a more community-friendly version of Mythos. Mythos, a powerful AI model that can detect vulnerabilities in cyber systems, was released earlier this year, but is only available to vetted organizations and businesses because it can be exploited.
Both Anthropic models were banned from use by “foreign persons” by the U.S. government in June, citing recommendations from national security officials.
Olivia Shen, a national security and AI expert at the Center for American Studies at the University of Sydney, said while much of the world is watching to see what happens next for Anthropic, more powerful AI models could emerge in the not-too-distant future.
“I think we need to expect the next myth or the next fable to be just around the corner,” Shen says.
“While we can only confirm what has been released, there may be other similarly advanced models being developed by China, other states, and other actors and companies.”
In March, the Albanon government signed Anthropic on as the first company in its national AI plan.
The non-binding memorandum means the companies agree to share details of their AI advances with the government and “promote safety.”
The Government’s National Plan promotes a light approach to regulation of this sector in order to reap the economic and productivity benefits from this technology.
