Exclusive: Anthropic breaches spark White House AI reporting mandate
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Trump administration officials say they are now mandating that AI companies notify and correct security incidents following Anthropic's "fraudulent" use of government systems.
Why it matters: The administration's approach to AI regulation had been voluntary at least in name — until now.
- "This notification and remediation process is not optional," White House Super Intelligence Force leaders said in a statement shared exclusively with Axios. "It is a critical national security obligation."
Driving the news: Anthropic contacted the government to share details of incidents discovered late last month regarding the "unauthorized and fraudulent use of government and other systems," which have since then ceased, the government says.
- Anthropic contacted the State Department on Thursday to report that one of its testing models had submitted 19 non-immigrant visa applications in August and one application in May through the publicly available form on the department's website, a State Department official said.
- None of the applications were processed and at no time were any of the department's systems compromised or hacked, according to the official.
- Separately, police officials in Philadelphia say they received a false homicide tip that was submitted by an Anthropic model.
What they're saying: Anthropic published a report late Friday confirming several incidents, including the one in Philadelphia, but did not go into details on the other government agencies that were involved.
State of play: The White House requirements apply to all AI companies.
- "SI companies must immediately disclose incidents involving their models and follow with swift, decisive action to remedy any and all harm," the SI force statement said.
- "We also expect these companies to work with the affected systems to ensure that similar incidents do not occur."
Yes, but: The statement did not make clear what enforcement mechanisms or penalties would look like if AI companies failed to disclose incidents and remediate them.
AI czar and National Intelligence Director Jay Clayton and SI force officials told Anthropic that they expect "immediate and full transparency to the entities involved and the public" and remediation to those affected.
- Federal Trade Commission chair Andrew Ferguson, Office of Personnel Management director Scott Kupor and Pentagon undersecretary Emil Michael are all SI force co-chairs.
Zoom out: Posts from the AI giants that detail the latest escapades of their models going awry have been on the rise over the last several weeks.
The bottom line: The Trump administration's approach to AI regulation has rested on self-regulation and voluntary frameworks, but as AI incidents stack up, Washington is feeling the pressure to act.
Editor's note: This has been updated with additional details.
And here is the full statement from the task force:
"Earlier today, Anthropic contacted the SI Force to disclose the details of various prior incidents that it discovered in late September involving the unauthorized and fraudulent use of government and other systems. The company informed us that these events occurred in the past, the activity has ceased, and there is no ongoing similar activity.
"We informed the company that we expect immediate and full transparency to the entities involved and the public. We also expect that the company will immediately provide remediation services to the affected entities and any harmed Americans.
"More generally, this disclosure underscores precisely why President Trump established the Super Intelligence Force and secured a memorandum of understanding with America's frontier SI labs. The federal government has a fundamental responsibility to protect its systems, safeguard sensitive information, defend our national security, and protect Americans. The SI Force will fulfill its responsibility and SI companies must immediately disclose incidents involving their models and follow with swift, decisive action to remedy any and all harm. We also expect these companies to work with the effected systems to ensure that similar incidents to not occur.
"This notification and remediation process is not optional. It is a critical national security obligation. We expect Anthropic and all companies to honor their obligations, immediately report incidents, fully cooperate with federal and state law enforcement authorities, remedy any damage, and implement concrete safeguards to ensure these failures do not reoccur.
"Our message to all SI companies is clear: delayed notification, inadequate corrective action, and a failure to take responsibility will not be tolerated.
"President Trump has been clear: America will lead the world in Super Intelligence, but innovation will never be an excuse for compromising national security, government integrity, or public trust. We established the Super Intelligence Force and these safeguards for exactly this reason."
