(Bloomberg) — Japan’s three megabanks are set to secure access to Anthropic’s artificial intelligence model Mythos, according to a person familiar with the matter, after its limited release last month sparked fears of a new age of cybersecurity risks.
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MUFG Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. and Mizuho Bank are all likely to gain access to the artificial intelligence model developed by the US firm, the person said, asking not to be identified because the information is private. The planned access was earlier reported by local media outlet Nikkei.
The move comes as financial institutions around the world grow alarmed about the risks created by Mythos, which has an unprecedented ability to detect software vulnerabilities. That has raised concerns that hackers could use Mythos to disrupt critical infrastructure, and access has so far been limited to a small number of US companies and organizations.
The expansion of access to Japan’s giant lenders would represent a new stage in Anthropic’s roll-out of the AI model, which has so far been unavailable to almost all of the world’s biggest financial institutions. JPMorgan Chase & Co. was the only bank included in the initial group given access to Mythos, part of an initiative the company called Project Glasswing.
The widespread alarm over Mythos – and speculation about just how much damage it could do to the global financial system – has ironically fueled optimism about Anthropic itself. The firm, founded by former employees of OpenAI, is currently in talks to raise money at a valuation of more than $900 billion.
Anthropic, Mizuho and MUFG declined to comment.
In an earnings briefing on Wednesday, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group’s Chief Executive Toru Nakashima said he hadn’t heard anything regarding access rights and so didn’t know the details. He added the bank has set up an internal working group to focus on Mythos.
Nikkei said Mythos access could be granted to the Japanese megabanks as early as the end of May, adding that the banks were informed during US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s recent visit to Tokyo.
Japan’s Financial Services Agency is set to hold the first meeting of a public-private working group on Thursday aimed at strengthening cybersecurity measures. Participants are expected to include the three megabanks and other lenders, alongside firms such as NTT Data Group Corp. and Nomura Research Institute Ltd. Officials from Japan’s Finance Ministry and the Bank of Japan are also expected to attend.
AloJapan.com