There are currently a great many different AI models. Behind these models stand large technology companies locked in an outright race. Their goal is to build the most capable AI and with it take the lead in the market. Among the best-known companies are OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, and Anthropic, which develops the AI Claude.
Anthropic already caused a stir a few months ago. At the time, the company said it had developed a new AI model so capable that it did not want to make it publicly available for safety reasons. That model was called “Mythos”.
Then, on Wednesday 10 June 2026, Anthropic unexpectedly released a new model called “Fable 5” – practically overnight. Many suspected it might be a reworked version of Mythos. According to Anthropic, the model was additionally fitted with a kind of safety filter. So if a request was classified as problematic or dangerous, it was meant to be passed automatically to a less capable model. The aim was to reduce potential risks to a minimum.
Reactions went into overdrive almost immediately. Within just a few hours of the release, countless videos and reports appeared on YouTube and across the rest of the internet. The new model was said to be so powerful that within an hour, using a relatively short prompt, you could generate complex programs and even 3D video games.
But the enthusiasm didn’t last long.
Just a few days later, on the Saturday, Fable 5 was switched off again. At first there was no detailed explanation. The model disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared.
Now, of course, you can speculate about the real reason for the shutdown. Were there unexpected safety problems? Were there technical difficulties? Or did political or commercial interests play a part?
These days, many specialists are asking themselves whether they should continue their work at all while it’s unclear whether Fable 5 will soon be back online. Because if several months of work can be caught up in just a few hours, an obvious question arises: does it make sense to carry straight on – or is it worth waiting a few weeks?