Rishi Sunak banned from Company’s AI despite Adviser Role

Rishi Sunak is believed to be among those unable to use Anthropic’s most powerful artificial intelligence models, despite his role as an adviser to the company.

Anthropic has disabled access to Fable 5 and Mythos 5, its most advanced systems, following orders from the US Department of Commerce.

The restrictions extend to foreign nationals and non-US employees, with the company also understood to have imposed limits on many US-based staff, not only those outside the country.

Mr Sunak, who joined Anthropic in 2025 as a senior adviser, is not believed to have any privileged access to the firm’s systems, including its most advanced models.

The ex-Prime Minister is paid an estimated £373,000 a year in Anthropic shares for his work. His register of interests states the role requires around 70 hours per year, equivalent to one hour and 21 minutes per week.

He has said he will donate the income to the Richmond Project, a numeracy charity he set up with his wife, Akshata Murty.

Transparency disclosures state his advisory position involves acting as an “internal think tank” for Anthropic, offering “high-level strategic perspectives on macro-economic and geopolitical trends”.

He has said the role involves no contact with the UK Government.

Rishi Sunak is believed to have attended a gathering of business leaders hosted by Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei in the Cotswolds last month.

The restrictions were introduced after the US Department of Commerce issued an “export control directive” following reports it had been alerted to a “jailbreak” capable of removing safety protections from the models.

These safeguards are designed to prevent the systems being used for hacking or to develop weapons.

Anthropic has previously said an earlier version of the model was too dangerous to release publicly.

The export control directive prevents Anthropic from offering the systems to any foreign national, including its own employees.

Because the company does not hold nationality data on its customers, it has extended the block to all users globally.

Anthropic said it disagreed with the US government’s decision but confirmed it would comply with the order.

The company has said it believes the restriction is the result of a misunderstanding and expects it to be resolved shortly.