Trump-Ordered Shutdown Sparks Fears of Widespread Tech Disruption

A US government mechanism that allows it to switch off major American tech products worldwide without warning has raised concerns about technological sovereignty. This power was exercised recently when the Center for AI Standards and Innovation (Caisi) within the US Commerce Department ordered Anthropic, an AI company, to cut off foreign access to its flagship model Fable 5.

The move came after a letter from Caisi citing export control authority, without providing detailed national security concerns or specific evidence. As a result, Anthropic was forced to abruptly disable both Fable 5 and its sister model Mythos 5 for all customers.

The incident has sparked fears that the US government could potentially switch off other major tech products, including Microsoft Office, which is used by 345 million businesses worldwide. This concern is heightened given that Caisi has a standing agreement with Microsoft to test its models before and after public release, and can act if necessary.

The AI Kill Switch Act, a bipartisan bill currently making its way through Congress, would grant the Secretary of Homeland Security the authority to order the shutdown of any AI system deemed to pose catastrophic harm. This has raised concerns about the potential for Trump to use this power to disable major tech products, such as Microsoft's Copilot.