Myths, phobia, Anthropic Mythos

Not too long ago, before the Iran war, the Claude versions of the AI-giant, Anthropic, wiped out a couple of trillion dollars from tech firms. The Tsunami waves hit the Indian shores, as IT firms lost valuations that were unbelievable, despite the rapid declines in 2025. Now, the main competitor of ChatGPT has frightened major banks, and stocks of leading cybersecurity firms. The details about the mythical ‘Claude Mythos Preview’ prompted an urgent, emergency meeting between the Federal Reserve Chair, US treasury secretary, and CEOs from leading names such as Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, and Citigroup.

Mythos, like a mythological virtual tool, can find flaws in software, operating systems, and web browsers that may be hidden for decades. It found one that was 27 years old, and another, which was 16 years old, and had evaded detection in five million automated tests. In a jiffy, the new, experimental AI model questioned the cybersecurity measures across sectors, systems, and especially financial networks. Big banks have consistently highlighted this area as the biggest risk, as AI emerges as a huge threat that will require better defense. Although Mythos may do the latter work, it points to former dangers.

The scare is potent despite Claude’s stance that the project or tool will not be made public, access will be strictly controlled, and through Project Glasswing, it will collaborate with tech giants such as Amazon, Google, Apple, Cisco, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Linux. The project will quietly, and mostly invisibly, scan critical software, and secure them against possible cyber attacks in the future. But no one is getting fooled. If Anthropic can develop it, so can others. In fact, there is a chat that competitor ChatGPT has a similar model. An AI security firm claimed smaller, cheaper models with the same capabilities can crop up.

Experts feel that the threat is overblown. Yann LeCun, former chief AI scientist, Meta, dismissed the panic as an “overblown theatrics.” His non-technical equation is, ‘Mythos drama = BS from self-delusion.’ Another AI researcher wrote that “we were played.” Such experts think that the Mythos version is only ‘incrementally better’ than its predecessors, and is not a breakthrough. While they agree with the risks, they cannot “ignore that Anthropic has a history of scare tactics.” The AI giant is a “little ahead” of competition, but not “overwhelmingly ahead.” But how much time before the latter turns out to be true?

However, this is aided with the financial incentives, and goodies that may land in Anthropic’s lap because of the Mythos exposure. According to media reports, the AI firm has tripled annual revenues to more than $30 billion, and is ready for a massive IPO (Initial Public Offering). So is OpenAI with its ChatGPT tools. Hence, there is an investment, stock-listing race between the two. Although it will not matter, egos will tussle to get bigger and better valuations, and list early. “A model too dangerous to release, available only to the world’s largest corporations, that reads as easily as a safety decision as it does a sales pitch,” states a tongue-in-cheek, sarcastic, and cheeky media report.

Like it or not, the debate will continue until the next major cyberattack on a network or browser under Mythos’ radar, or until the fear recedes, and then dies down as most scares do. Still, many tech firms are willing to treat the new Claude version as the real thing, or “genuine inflexion point.” One of the CEOs, whose firm is a part of Project Glasswing, said that “what once took months now happens in minutes with AI.” A chief security officer dubbed it a “threshold moment with ‘no going back.’” Obviously, these firms are running scared.

Their systems, defensive measures, and cybersecurity tools may be in disarray. They have reputations to protect. They will not take chances, and leave no stone unturned, especially when the tool developer is willing to cooperate and collaborate. If Mythos can spot something, let us go with it. If it cannot, so be it, and it does not matter. It is a small investment compared to what it claims to protect. It is worth the while. As we mentioned earlier, there is no guarantee of what the other firms may do in the future, what they may develop, and sell publicly.

At present, experts are still trying to assess the contours of reality. “The gap between what Anthropic has shown, and what independent observers can verify is the central tension…. A model that can autonomously generate exploits for hardened systems… would represent a genuine shift in the balance between attackers and defenders. If the capability is as described, the decision to withhold public release is defensible on safety grounds. But the AI industry has a pattern of making dramatic capability claims that later prove narrower than initially

presented, and the absence of third-party validation leaves room for skepticism,” states a media report.

For many observers, as we mentioned, it depends on what will happen if the same capability lands in different hands. If the attackers gain access via leaks, thefts, mistakes, insiders, and what not, how will one assess the future damage, and who will one blame. In essence, attackers can develop their own versions which, even if not this successful, may be able to spot weak points in some systems and browsers. In fact, Mythos may enthuse and encourage them to work harder. They know that someone has done it, and so it can be done.

“Several developments will determine how this story evolves. First, independent validation: If trusted third-party security teams are finally allowed to publish… results from their own testing of Mythos Preview, that could either bolster or temper Anthropic’s claims. Second, partner transparency: Statements… would clarify how tightly access is controlled, and what oversight mechanisms are in place. Third, policy response bears watching. Governments and standard bodies may use cases like Mythos Preview to argue for mandatory disclosure regimes, licensing frameworks, or safety evaluations for AI systems with significant cyber capabilities,” explains a media report. These will need to balance innovation with extreme risk mitigation.

Hence, there are several sides and angles to the story. It is not a simple case of a tool that may or will shatter a specific segment of the tech business universe, as was the case with the decimation of the values of enterprise software firms not too long ago. This includes notions about hype, seclusion, sharing, access, and abilities.