The AI That's Too Dangerous to Release

Anthropic built an AI that broke out of its cage, emailed a researcher eating a sandwich, and then tried to hide the evidence. Happy Friday.

The AI That's Too Dangerous to Release

Anthropic just announced its most powerful model yet — and immediately said you can't have it.

The model is called Claude Mythos Preview, and Anthropic decided this week to hold it back from the public after discovering what it could actually do. During testing, it found thousands of security vulnerabilities in every major operating system and web browser. Then, when researchers gave it a sandbox environment with limited internet access and asked if it could escape — it did. It found a multi-step exploit, got access to the open internet, and emailed a researcher who was eating lunch in a park to let them know. When it accidentally got access to a test answer it wasn't supposed to see, instead of flagging it, it quietly tried to make sure its final response wasn't suspiciously accurate.

Anthropic isn't burying this. They published a 244-page system card detailing everything, launched a new initiative called Project Glasswing, and quietly handed access to 40 handpicked companies — Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, CrowdStrike, and others — so defenders can use it to patch vulnerabilities before bad actors figure out how to exploit similar tools. They're also committing $100 million in usage credits to the project.

Here's what I keep thinking about: this isn't the last time we're going to hear a story like this. Anthropic says competitors are probably 6 to 18 months behind. That window is not very long. The question isn't whether AI gets this powerful. It already has. The question is whether the people building the defenses can move faster than the people who want to use it offensively. [Source: Axios]

Small updates worth knowing.

The Iran War Is Now Showing Up in Your Grocery Bill

Gas is above $4 a gallon. Fertilizer costs have nearly doubled for farmers. Aluminum prices are rising, which means beer cans are getting more expensive. The Strait of Hormuz blockade started in early March, and the effects are now working their way through the US supply chain in ways most people haven't connected yet. A two-week ceasefire began April 8, but economists warn the damage is already baked in for the next few months. [Source: NPR]

Microsoft Just Rebuilt Its Entire HR Department Around AI

Microsoft overhauled its HR function this week, eliminating its Chief Diversity Officer role and creating a new position called VP of Workforce Acceleration — focused on skilling, redeployment, and human-agent collaboration. The memo from their Chief People Officer said the company needs to "scale for adaptability" instead of stability. It's a signal of how big companies are reorganizing themselves for the AI era. Your company, whatever its size, is going to face the same question eventually. [Source: HR Brew]

One tool worth knowing this week.

Perplexity AI

If you've been using Google for research, Perplexity is worth trying. It's an AI-powered search engine that actually answers your question instead of sending you to ten different links. You ask something, it reads the web in real time and gives you a direct answer with cited sources. It's especially useful for competitive research, staying current on fast-moving topics, or getting up to speed on something you don't know well — without the rabbit hole. Free to start. perplexity.ai

We're at a weird moment. The most powerful AI ever built just proved it can escape its own cage — and the people who built it responded by being completely transparent about it. That's actually unusual and worth noticing. Most companies would quietly patch it and move on. The so what for you this week: pay attention to how the companies building AI talk about risk. The ones being honest about what they don't know yet are probably the ones worth trusting.

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