Mythos and the New AI Cyber Panic
5/8/202619 min
When an AI system can autonomously find and exploit vulnerabilities at scale — who controls the risk? In this episode of The Morning Brief, host Anirban Chowdhury sits down with Gary Marcus, AI expert, scientist and author to examine Anthropic's Mythos — a frontier AI system built for defensive cybersecurity that has rattled governments, central banks, and security researchers worldwide. The conversation unpacks why the dual-use dilemma at Mythos's core is so difficult to resolve, how India's financial and digital infrastructure sits squarely in the line of fire, and what RBI, MeitY, and Indian banks are quietly preparing for. From Anthropic's Project Glasswing to the limits of regulatory readiness, the episode probes whether the institutions meant to protect us are moving fast enough — and whether a defensive tool, in the wrong hands, is a defensive tool at all.
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First 90 secondsAnirban Chaudhuri· Host0:00
[upbeat music] A new AI system called Mythos, created by Anthropic, has triggered an unusually sharp global response. [upbeat music] Governments, banks, cybersecurity experts, and frontier AI researchers are all asking the same question: What happens when AI systems can independently find and exploit vulnerabilities at scale? Anthropic says Mythos is a defensive security tool. Critics worry it could also supercharge cybercrime, phishing, and attacks on weak digital infrastructure. India, too, is paying attention, with the Finance Ministry, RBI, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and banks holding discussions around its implications. So how worried should we really be? And are governments, enterprises, and citizens ready for what comes next? Let's find out with global AI expert Gary Marcus. [upbeat music] It's Friday the 8th of May. I'm Anirban Chaudhuri. This is The Morning Brief. [upbeat music] Now, Anthropic describes Mythos as a frontier