Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wants the Department of Homeland Security to move quickly on helping local governments secure critical systems against cyber risks of frontier artificial intelligence models like Anthropic’s Mythos.
“DHS must immediately help states and localities find and fix vulnerabilities before Americans are hit with outages, disruptions, and attacks that could put lives and livelihoods at risk,” Schumer said in a statement accompanying his May 7 letter to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin.
Last month, Anthropic said its next model is so good at identifying cyber vulnerabilities that it won’t immediately release the system beyond private sector research partners.
The announcement created dramatic ripples in the halls of power, helping to thaw relations between Anthropic and President Donald Trump. Now, the White House is making a once-unthinkable turn to discussing AI safety and oversight.
But Schumer said state, local, tribal and territorial governments are being left out despite risks to “hospitals, energy grids, water infrastructure, school systems, election systems, telecommunications, and other critical infrastructure.”
Hackers may also be just months away from acquiring Mythos-like capabilities, Schumer added. DHS helps local governments adapt to cyber challenges.
Schumer asked Mullin to tell Congress his “plan for coordinating our nation’s response to frontier AI-enabled hacking by July 1,” complete with answers that local governments can use in “preparing for these unparalleled changes before it is too late.”
