Anthropic’s powerful new AI model, Claude Mythos, has also raised an alarm in Canada, with regulators, banks and government officials warning of unprecedented cybersecurity risks. The federal government says that it is taking the issue seriously, as the model demonstrates capabilities that experts describe as potentially dangerous in the wrong hands. Now a new report by The Globe and Mail revealed that the AI minister Evan Solomon has now scheduled a meeting with Anthropic’s executives, following earlier talks between the company and Canada’s innovation, Science and Economic Development department. “We are taking this issue seriously and that’s why we’re meeting with representatives from Anthropic,”spokesperson Sofia Ouslis told The Globe and Mail, adding that Canada welcomes the company’s decision not to release Mythos publicly and wants trusted international partners included in the initiative.
Fears of Anthropic’s new AI model Mythos reach Canada
Recently, Executives from Canada’s largest banks and top regulators gathered to discuss the cybersecurity risks posed by Anthropic’s new Claude Mythos AI model, amid the growing concerns that the technology could be weaponised to exploit software vulnerabilities. According to a report by The Globe and Mail, the meeting was held by the Canadian Financial Sector Resiliency Group (CFRG), chaired by Bank of Canada COO Alexis Corbett, and included representatives from the Department of Finance, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI), and executives from Canada’s six biggest banks plus Desjardins Group.As per the report, Bank of Canada spokesperson Paul Badertscher emphasised that the meeting was not an emergency one but rather a ‘situational awareness’ session. “It can still hold meetings at the request of its members. ‘Hey guys, we need to pay attention, there is something going on. Let’s get together and talk about this.’ That’s what this was,” he said.The model has already identified thousands of vulnerabilities across major operating systems and browsers, raising fears of AI-enabled cyberattacks. Carole Piovesan of INQ Law warned: “In the wrong hands, it is profoundly detrimental from a cybersecurity perspective.”
Global concerns
The UK’s AI Security Institute reported that Mythos could autonomously exploit complex vulnerability chains, completing simulated multi-step network attacks that would take human hackers days. While the simulations were simplified, experts say the findings underscore the risks of technical debt — accumulated flaws in software patched over time rather than fully fixed.Canadian cybersecurity leader David Shipley compared the looming crisis to “the tech equivalent of the 2008 financial crisis combined with climate change,” warning of global-scale “tech debt bankruptcy.”
Calls for regulation
Experts including Nicolas Papernot of the Canadian AI Safety Institute and AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio argue that leaving release decisions to private companies is dangerous. They call for mandatory third-party audits and global coordination to evaluate powerful models before public release.
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Canada is preparing a new national AI strategy, with security as a central pillar. Former officials have urged minimum security standards and risk assessments for operators of large AI models.
