Access is being restored (but not everything)

Good news for curious AI fans: the U.S. Department of Commerce has lifted export controls on Anthropic’s top models, which means the company plans to start turning access back on. In short, Fable 5 is slated to be restored on Wednesday, while Mythos 5 will stay behind a velvet rope and remain available only to a small set of partner companies.

Anthropic says they’re rolling access back carefully, so it’s still unclear whether Fable will be flipped on for everyone worldwide right away or if the initial rollout will be geographically limited. Expect a phased return rather than an instant global party.

Expect ID checks — here’s what that looks like

Alongside the restoration news, Anthropic has been preparing identity checks for some uses of its models. Think of it as a bouncer for powerful AI features: not everyone will be asked, but some users may need to verify who they are before they get certain capabilities.

Highlights of the verification process:

  • Anthropic is deploying identity verification for a handful of cases — platform integrity checks, specific features, or safety and legal compliance.
  • The company has chosen Persona as the verification partner; verification data is handled by Persona rather than being stored directly on Anthropic’s systems.
  • Accepted documents may include passports, driver’s licenses, state/provincial IDs, or national identity cards.
  • Not accepted: photocopies, screenshots, scanned documents, mobile IDs that aren’t supported, student or employee badges, bank cards, or temporary paper IDs.
  • You may be asked to take a quick live selfie with your camera — the whole thing usually takes under five minutes.

Anthropic says the verification information will be used only to confirm identity and meet safety or legal obligations, not as training fodder for models. If you have a dispute, Anthropic can request verification records from Persona as part of an appeal.

So — more access for Fable is on the horizon, but there’s also a new attention to who’s using the models. Stay tuned; this is still unfolding and things may change as the company finishes the rollout.