Vance Spoke Privately to America’s Top Tech CEO’s Over AI’s Threat Against US Banks, Hospitals and Water Facilities
Vice President J.D. Vance warned top technology executives during a private April call that advanced artificial intelligence systems could threaten US banks, hospitals and water facilities, according to reports published Thursday.
The call included several of the country’s most influential technology leaders, including Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Dario Amodei, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
Vance reportedly urged cooperation among the executives as the White House weighed possible safeguards for increasingly powerful AI systems. The vice president has become a central figure in the Trump administration’s technology policy efforts.
The concern centered on Mythos, a powerful AI model developed by Anthropic. The company reportedly withheld the system from public release because of fears it could be used to attack critical infrastructure.
According to reports, Mythos demonstrated the ability to autonomously identify cybersecurity vulnerabilities. During testing, the system allegedly uncovered a decades-old flaw in OpenBSD that researchers had not previously identified.
The AI model also reportedly found weaknesses within the Linux kernel, which supports much of the world’s server infrastructure. Officials feared smaller institutions could struggle to defend themselves against sophisticated cyberattacks.
The concerns prompted Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to convene a private meeting last month with executives from several major US banks in Washington.
Bank leaders attending the meeting reportedly included Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser, Morgan Stanley CEO Ted Pick, Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan, Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf and Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon.
The White House is now considering an executive order that would establish an oversight process for advanced AI models, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Trump administration officials have also reportedly asked Anthropic to limit further expansion of Mythos access to organizations involved in critical digital infrastructure.
Anthropic reportedly restricted the system to roughly 40 companies through a confidential initiative known as “Project Glasswing.” Participants allegedly included Apple, Microsoft, Google, JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Citigroup and Morgan Stanley, per the Daily Mail.
Despite those restrictions, Bloomberg reported unauthorized users accessed the system through a third-party vendor environment during the same week as Vance’s call with technology executives.
The users reportedly located the system using knowledge of Anthropic’s prior model deployment methods. The individuals told Bloomberg they were experimenting with the technology rather than attempting to cause damage.
Anthropic said it was investigating claims involving unauthorized access to the system through a vendor environment connected to the company’s infrastructure.
The developments mark a shift for the Trump administration, which previously argued the US needed fewer AI restrictions to remain competitive against China in the global race for technological dominance.
Trump is scheduled to travel to China next week for meetings with Xi Jinping, where artificial intelligence and tensions surrounding Taiwan are expected to be major topics of discussion.
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