Sarvam AI CEO believes US Mythos ban for foreigners is just the beginning, sovereign AI is future
Anthropic has blocked access to its most advanced AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, following a directive from the US government. While the company
Anthropic has blocked access to its most advanced AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, following a directive from the US government. While the company says the decision was not its own and that it is working to restore access, the ban has triggered a wider debate around technology sovereignty and who gets access to cutting-edge AI. Among those weighing in is Sarvam AI co-founder and CEO Pratyush Kumar, who believes the episode is a sign of things to come. Read Full Story According to Kumar, the restrictions highlight why countries and companies can no longer rely entirely on foreign AI providers and will increasingly need to build, own and control their own AI capabilities. His comments came after Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu described Anthorpic’s move as proof that "globalisation is dead" and argued that India must build its own AI capabilities. In a detailed post on X, Kumar argued that the Anthropic restrictions should serve as a wake-up call for governments, businesses and AI developers around the world.
According to him, the biggest lesson from the episode is that access to technology should not be confused with ownership. "For AI users, it is clear that you should not confuse access with ownership," Kumar wrote. He argued that organisations relying on externally controlled AI systems remain vulnerable if access can be restricted by governments, regulators or the companies that operate those models. "And if the most significant tech differentiator you are leveraging has external control loops, then you have to accept you are vulnerable," he added. Kumar's comments come after Anthropic said it was forced to disable access to Fable 5 and Mythos 5 following a US export-control directive. The order applies to foreign nationals, including Indians, both inside and outside the United States. Anthropic has said it disagrees with the government's assessment and is working to restore access. However, Kumar believes the implications go far beyond one company or one model.
He argued that the episode could set a precedent where AI talent, companies and even entire countries are increasingly expected to align with national interests. "For AI talent, it is now a precedent that you would be seen aligning to national interests more than company interests," he wrote, suggesting that the trend could become stronger as AI systems become more powerful and more deeply integrated into national economies. Kumar also predicted that AI companies may increasingly split their offerings into different tiers. General-purpose AI could remain widely available, while frontier AI systems may become more tightly controlled and accessible only to selected customers, governments or strategic partners. According to the Sarvam CEO, this creates strong commercial incentives for AI labs. Widely available models attract users and data, while the most capable systems can be reserved for higher-value customers. Its time to for India to build Sovereign AI The Sarvam CEO argued that these developments strengthen the case for what he calls "sovereign AI", the ability of countries and organisations to build, deploy and improve AI systems within their own borders rather than depending entirely on foreign providers.
The BriefWire