AI models capable of taking down governments and businesses are just 'months away' from being introduced, according to a rare joint statement by the Five Eyes intelligence alliance. The alliance, comprising signals agencies from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and the United States, has urged world leaders to 'act now' to mitigate the escalating risk.
Urgent Warning from Five Eyes
Issued late Monday night Sydney time, the statement highlights that AI 'accelerates the speed, scale and sophistication of cyber threats.' The agencies cautioned that 'frontier AI models are anticipated to exceed current industry expectations, fundamentally transforming both offensive and defensive cyber capabilities.' They stressed that 'the timeline is not years, it is months.'
According to the Five Eyes agencies, 'In this environment, cyber resilience is integral to advancing business continuity, market confidence, and long-term value.' The statement called for a 'whole-of-organisation and whole-of-society response,' emphasizing that 'cyber risk can no longer be treated as a purely technical issue. This is a core business risk and leadership responsibility.'
Trump Administration's Action on Anthropic's Fable Model
The warning comes after the Donald Trump administration blocked 'foreign nationals' from using the AI model Fable, built by tech company Anthropic, earlier in June 2026. Anthropic's advanced tier of tools, including Fable 5, is said to be capable of detecting vulnerabilities in cyber systems and is currently only available to vetted organizations and companies. The US government suspended its use by foreign nationals based on advice from national security authorities.
Expert Commentary on Future AI Threats
Olivia Shen, an expert in national security and AI at the University of Sydney's United States Studies Centre, told the Guardian that 'there could be many more powerful AI models not far off on the horizon.' She added, 'I think we have to anticipate that the next Mythos or the next Fable is just around the corner. We can only see what's been released, but there could be other models being developed by the likes of China, or other states and other actors and companies, that are just as advanced.'
Broader Implications for Cybersecurity
The Five Eyes agencies also noted that leaps forward in AI models would lower barriers for bad actors and increase the speed and complexity of cyber attacks. While no specific AI models were mentioned in the statement, the focus remains on the urgent need for enhanced cyber resilience across all sectors.
