The NSA is reportedly preparing Anthropic’s Mythos for use in cyber operations

Anthropic has deployed about a half-dozen NSA engineers to help its spies use the company’s cybersecurity AI model, Mythos, the Financial Times reported, citing anonymous sources.

The engineers are tasked with helping the intelligence agency use Mythos for specific applications, the report said. However, it is not clear whether the Engineers or Mythos are being actively used in the agency’s hacking operations.

The NSA is charged with collecting intelligence from wiretaps, undersea cables, corporate partnerships, and other covert means, as well as launching offensive cyberattacks on foreign adversaries.

The Financial Times report adds to previous news from Axios, which reported in April that the NSA was using Mythos despite a federal ban on the use of Anthropic’s technology. This ban followed the Department of Defense’s decision to classify Anthropic as a “supply chain risk” in retaliation for not allowing the government to use its models for mass domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons.

The latest report comes as governments scramble to access Mythos, which Anthropic claims has had to restrict access, for fear its cybersecurity capabilities will be exploited to discover security flaws and carry out hacks.

When TechCrunch reached out to an NSA spokesperson, he declined to confirm or deny the report. Anthropic did not respond to a request for comment.