Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney cautioned against overreliance on a limited number of American AI providers during a speech on Sunday. His remarks came after the Trump administration implemented export controls on Anthropic's newest AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, restricting their use by foreign nationals.
The San Francisco-based Anthropic pulled the advanced models offline to comply with the directive, marking one of the U.S. government's most significant moves to limit access to cutting-edge AI technology. While Fable 5 was released widely, Mythos 5 remains tightly restricted due to its ability to surpass human cybersecurity experts in identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities.
“Nobody has done anything wrong in the situation. But we will have done something wrong if we just accept this, don’t take the lesson, don’t build out and diversify,” Carney said during his remarks in Ireland.
Carney linked the U.S. restrictions to Canada’s broader push to diversify trade and technology partnerships. Currently, over 70% of Canadian exports go to the U.S., but Carney has set a goal to double non-U.S. exports within the next decade. He emphasized the need for multiple options in critical technologies, stating, “It is never a good idea to have one option.”
The Prime Minister also discussed artificial intelligence with French President Emmanuel Macron ahead of the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France. While USMCA renewal discussions will take place at the summit, Carney noted there would be no “mission accomplished” banner, as the issues remain complex.