Deutsche Bank CEO Says No Panic Over Anthropic's Mythos AI Model

German Banking Sector Stays Calm Amid Mythos Concerns

Deutsche Bank CEO Christian Sewing told Bloomberg that the German banking sector does not view Anthropic's new AI model Claude Mythos as an existential threat. The statement comes amid widespread concerns over the model's cyber capabilities among regulators and financial institutions globally.

According to Sewing, the situation calls not for panic but for integrating new realities into everyday risk management. Sewing, who also serves as chairman of the Association of German Banks, revealed that the organization has established a dedicated working group. Its primary goal is to provide guidance and recommendations, especially for smaller financial institutions.

Sewing added that European banks have done "tremendous work" in recent years to bolster their cyber defenses.

Why This Matters

The emergence of Mythos has intensified the debate over the balance between AI capabilities and cybersecurity risks in the financial system. Anthropic developed the model in early April but refused to release it publicly, citing significant security risks. Instead, the company launched Project Glasswing — a controlled testing initiative involving Amazon, Apple, Broadcom, Cisco, CrowdStrike, Google, JPMorgan Chase, Linux Foundation, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Palo Alto Networks.

Anthropic stated that AI models have reached a level of programming skill that enables them to surpass nearly all but the most qualified humans in discovering and exploiting software vulnerabilities.

The capabilities Mythos demonstrated during testing alarmed regulators across multiple jurisdictions. Central banks in the UK and Canada held meetings with relevant agencies and major businesses. In the US, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell convened an emergency meeting with Wall Street executives.

Financial firms around the world are also pushing for access to test Mythos on their own systems. Sewing considers the restricted access entirely appropriate, arguing it prevents an overgeneralization scenario that could potentially worsen the problem.

Anthropic's Rocky Relationship With the Trump Administration

The Mythos situation unfolds against a backdrop of tense relations between Anthropic and the US government. On February 27, President Donald Trump ordered all federal agencies to completely phase out Anthropic's technologies within six months.

Earlier in January, the WSJ reported on a potential termination of the Department of Defense's contract with the startup, signed in July 2025. The friction stemmed from Anthropic's strict ethical policies, which prohibit using Claude for mass surveillance and autonomous lethal operations. Tensions were further heightened by the integration of the Grok chatbot into the Pentagon's network. Anthropic's attempt to adjust its AI safety rules to accommodate military requirements failed to shift officials' stance.

However, the emergence of Mythos in April shifted priorities. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei met with Trump administration officials, including White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Treasury Secretary Bessent. According to Reuters, both sides discussed collaboration opportunities as well as shared approaches and protocols for addressing challenges tied to scaling the technology.

Other Anthropic Developments

Beyond Mythos, Anthropic unveiled Claude Opus 4.7 in April — a model designed for advanced software development — and launched an experimental tool called Claude Design for design-related tasks.