Treasury Secretary Bessent Warns of AI-Driven Bank Hacks After Flash Meeting on Anthropic Model

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned Sunday that Americans should worry about AI-driven bank account hacks as artificial intelligence tools evolve quickly and create new vulnerabilities in financial systems.

"The U.S. government has gotten involved. The AI companies are working with us," Bessent said on "Sunday Morning Futures."

"What we had in the past month was a step change in the power of one large language model, but we're going to see it from the other AI companies."

Bessent and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell held a flash meeting with Wall Street bank heads to discuss cybersecurity risks from Anthropic's AI model, Claude Mythos Preview. Experts say the powerful new model marks a profound shift in the technology.

Anthropic's Mythos AI found over 2,000 unknown software vulnerabilities in just seven weeks of testing.

Bessent described the meeting as "less dramatic" than it appeared but aimed at ensuring major financial institutions prepare for emerging AI-driven cyber threats.

Like other Trump administration officials, he stressed the need for the United States to lead in the global AI race, especially against China.

"It's important, Maria, that the U.S. stays ahead here. Imagine if China or some non-state actor were ahead of us," he said. He added that the government must maintain safety while allowing AI companies to grow and innovate.

"There is a very important calculus here between innovation and safety," he continued. "And at the U.S. government, we're going to make sure that things stay safe."

Cybersecurity experts fear that advanced AI systems could spot and exploit weaknesses in banking infrastructure. That could let bad actors launch attacks at unprecedented scale and speed.

The fast pace of AI development has led regulators, financial institutions and AI companies to coordinate more closely. They aim to bolster defenses and resilience as the Trump administration pushes for a top spot in the race ahead.

Fox News' Robert McGreevy contributed to this report.