Asian AI startups launch Mythos-like models as Anthropic's export ban drags on

TechCrunch · 2 months ago · 3 ● 3 sources

Chinese cybersecurity firm 360 and Tokyo-based startup Sakana AI launched their own frontier AI models, Tulongfeng and Fugu respectively, as the U.S. government's export ban on Anthropic's Mythos and Fable 5 models continues. Sakana's Fugu is designed to coordinate multiple AI models through their APIs and explicitly markets itself as a way to avoid export control risks, while 360 positioned its tools as national strategic assets. These launches suggest that Asian companies are filling the gap left by restricted U.S. models, with locally trained alternatives that better understand regional languages and contexts potentially retaining market share even if the ban is eventually lifted.