What should we take from Anthropic’s (possibly) terrifying new report on Mythos?
We recorded 12 claims from this post. 1 was checked against evidence. 11 can’t be checked. 2 more are held. Read the post at its source.
Claims from this post (12)
In the order they appear in the post. Each quotation is the speaker’s words in this post. A label such as “Supported” or “Can’t be checked” is the claim’s current assessment; its page has the evidence and the reasons.
Assessment: Can’t be checkedSaid
Observation
“It’s probably not as bad as they say, as AI and cybersecurity expert Heidy Khlaaf explains in this thread, which I highly recommend:”
Our reading: Mythos's cybersecurity danger is probably not as bad as claimed.
No horizon
Assessment: Can’t be checkedSaid
Observation
“It probably isn’t; it’s telling that the report says very little about overall capabilities.”
Our reading: Mythos is probably not AGI, as suggested by the report saying little about overall capabilities.
No horizon
Assessment: Can’t be checkedSaid
Forecast
“Mythos may wreak havoc even if it hallucinates and lacks reliability outside of domains like coding and math.”
Our reading: Mythos may wreak havoc even if it hallucinates and is unreliable outside domains like coding and math.
No horizon
Qualifier: even if it hallucinates and lacks reliability outside coding and math
Assessment: UnresolvedSaid
Observation
“ChatGPT can’t reliably run a timer but it has still been implicated in delusions, suicides, cognitive surrender, mass disinformation, and so much more.”
Our reading: ChatGPT cannot reliably run a timer, yet it has been implicated in delusions, suicides, cognitive surrender and mass disinformation.
No horizon Evidence as of
Limitation: Legal allegations establish implication, not proven causation.
Assessment: Can’t be checkedSaid
Forecast
“But some of their competitors (such as OpenAI and xAI) might well not.”
Our reading: Competitors such as OpenAI and xAI might well not show restraint and could publicly release potentially dangerous technology.
No horizon
Assessment: Can’t be checkedSaid
Observation
“Whether Mythos is as scary as it sounds or not, the reality is that without any government oversight on what can be released, we are entirely at the mercy of individual CEOs, some of whom have decidedly not earned our trust.”
Our reading: Without government oversight of AI releases, the public is entirely at the mercy of individual AI CEOs, some of whom have not earned trust.
No horizon
Qualifier: without government oversight on releases
Assessment: Can’t be checkedSaid
Recommendation or value judgment
“Anthropic showed some admirable restraint in not publicly releasing a potentially dangerous technology.”
Our reading: Anthropic showed some admirable restraint in not publicly releasing a potentially dangerous technology (Mythos).
No horizon
Qualifier: some admirable restraint
Assessment: Can’t be checkedSaid
Recommendation or value judgment
“We need an international agency and treaty.”
Our reading: An international AI agency and treaty are needed.
No horizon
Assessment: Can’t be checkedSaid
Recommendation or value judgment
“Self-regulation is too little, too late.”
Our reading: Self-regulation (of AI companies) is too little, too late.
No horizon
Assessment: Can’t be checkedSaid
Causal claim
“The situation is this: three years of self-serving and misleading arguments about how regulation would allegedly preclude innovation has left us up shit’s creek, without a paddle.”
Our reading: Three years of self-serving and misleading arguments that regulation would allegedly preclude innovation have left us in a bad predicament ('up shit's creek, without a paddle').
No horizon
Scope: three years of arguments
Assessment: Can’t be checkedSaid
Rhetoric
“I can’t tell exactly how far Mythos (or similar competitive systems that will no doubt follow) leave us up that creek, but I do know that the time for crafting paddles is running out.”
Our reading: Time to build safeguards and regulation against AI risks is running out.
No horizon
Assessment: Can’t be checkedSaid
Recommendation or value judgment
“1Anthropic also announced a big consortium, partly supported by their financial support, to work on cybersecurity, which is likely a good thing, though one that should work in conjunction with law enforcement and regulation.”
Our reading: Anthropic's cybersecurity consortium is likely a good thing but should work in conjunction with law enforcement and regulation.
No horizon
Held from this post (2)
These records did not pass every check, so nothing about them is published. Held is not a finding.
- The two reviews read the claim differently
- The two reviews reached different assessments. Our reading, not assessed: Competing systems similar to Mythos will follow.