Mistral AI, the French AI startup, is holding talks with European banks about a cyber-focused model it has been developing, reported Bloomberg.
The discussions centre on a tool intended as a counterpart to Anthropic PBC’s Mythos, a restricted-access model designed to identify cybersecurity weaknesses at very high speed and scale.
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The timing of any launch remains uncertain. However, Mistral has discussed the project with banks in Europe, the people said.
Banks across Europe, without access to Mythos, are facing pressure to find and repair weaknesses that AI systems could exploit.
Before Mythos was introduced, Mistral had already been working with banking clients on AI tools to detect security flaws. It is now preparing a standardised version that could be offered more broadly, one of the people said.
A representative for Mistral declined to comment.
Anthropic’s move to introduce Mythos and then keep access limited has raised concern worldwide over the use of AI in hacking, while also intensifying competition among AI developers to build similar systems.
Mythos is available only to a small group of partners, including technology companies, banks and cybersecurity groups, which are testing the model and reinforcing their defences. Early analysis indicates the system can carry out autonomous attacks.
How Mistral’s model would compare with Mythos is not yet known. Mythos’s capabilities were significant enough to lead the White House to consider an executive order requiring new AI models to undergo safety checks before wider release.
Mistral, while smaller than its US competitors in adoption and revenue, is expected to present its model as a domestic alternative with lower risk.
A representative for Anthropic did not respond to a request for comment.
Mistral was valued at €12bn last September after securing €1.3bn in funding led by Dutch chip-machine maker ASML Holding. Its financial-sector clients include HSBC Holdings and BNP Paribas.
