“AI war”, “digital colony”… Why the suspension of Anthropic is part of the 2027 presidential election

This is an unprecedented decision. The American flagship of artificial intelligence Anthropic was forced on Friday by its government to cut off access to its most powerful models (Fable 5 and Mythos 5). Citing a risk to national security, Washington ordered, under export control, to cut off access to these models for “any foreign national, inside or outside the United States”, including “foreign employees” of Anthropic.

This injunction to suspend the access of “any foreign national” to artificial intelligence models caused heavyweights in the French presidential election to react this Saturday, warning against an “AI war”, and the need for independence in the face of United States.

« The urgency of being independent and souverains »

“This sudden decision reminds us that artificial intelligence is already a major subject of national sovereignty,” said Jordan Bardella (National Rally) on to the entire AI eco-system.”

“Since 2016, LFI has classified digital technology as a new frontier for humanity and refuses that France is a digital colony of the USA,” argued Jean-Luc Mélenchon. For the rebellious, Friday’s decision “proves the urgency of being independent and sovereign”, even if it is also a “political settling of scores” of the American government with Anthropic “supporter of ethical AI”. “.

“We have entered a new world (…) where we can only count on ourselves first,” PS boss Olivier Faure also commented, calling for “to build a real European power.”

Un risque « de vassalisation totale de la France »

“The AI ​​war has already begun,” judged Gabriel Attal (Renaissance), citing a risk of “total vassalization of France.” “We cannot rely on others because that makes us vulnerable, the United States’ decision shows this. Anthropic is their Strait of Hormuz,” he added.

Washington “decides to subject the development of AI to its logic of power,” added Édouard Philippe (Horizons), stressing that “we do not master either the models or the calculation” of AI, an infrastructure “as essential as electricity or Internet.” Urging Europe to “wake up”, the mayor of Le Havre called for favoring “European technological markets”, or even to simplify “standards which benefit American big tech”.

A final measure also advocated by LR candidate Bruno Retailleau, who also wants to “reorient public procurement towards sovereign solutions”, and “do with AI what we did with nuclear power (…) think of it as part of our sovereignty”. And the senator invited the boss of Anthropic, Dario Amodei, to settle in France: “You are welcome in Paris”.