The Biden administration has imposed export controls on Anthropic's newest AI models, Mythos 5 and Fable 5, citing national security concerns that safeguards against misuse could be bypassed. The restrictions, announced last Friday, block foreign nationals from accessing the two cybersecurity-focused models, prompting Anthropic to suspend access entirely.
This move by the White House has created an opening for Mistral, Europe's leading AI startup, which has long warned of Europe's dependence on US AI firms. Mistral CEO Arthur Mensch has positioned his company as a champion of AI sovereignty, advocating for European governments and businesses to avoid reliance on foreign AI providers.
'At some point, you need to be able to turn it off or turn it on, and you don't want to leave it to another country,' Mensch stated at London Tech Week in June 2025.
Mistral has focused on open-weight models that allow customers to deploy and customize AI on their own infrastructure, ensuring control over data and technology. The French startup, valued at $13.6 billion, is pushing for Europe to build its own AI infrastructure to avoid permanent dependence on American tech giants.
The export controls on Anthropic's models have highlighted Mistral's core argument: control of AI ultimately lies with the provider and its government, a scenario European leaders are increasingly eager to avoid.