Anthropic says its new AI model, Mythos, is so powerful and so good at coding that it can’t be released publicly. Instead, Anthropic launched Project Glasswing, an effort to share the software with certain companies to bolster cyber defenses before inevitable attacks cripple the world.
The situation is almost reminiscent of Y2K, when the software industry scrambled to update its systems to avoid fears of a tech meltdown striking at midnight on Jan. 1, 2000.
Except, in this case, cyber defenses have already melted down. The state of cybersecurity is abysmal and AI-assisted coding has been making it worse. Part of the problem is that world governments, which are in the best position to do something about cybersecurity, also exploit software vulnerabilities for spying and other national security purposes.
And while we may hear more about big companies that are victims of cyberattacks, it’s actually small business owners and individuals who are often most hurt by hackers.
It would be great if Mythos were the wakeup call the world needed to finally do something about cybersecurity, but that seems unlikely. If anything, as the US seems poised to further cut spending on cyber defenses, it appears the opposite is happening.