Anthropic documents illicit dark web ecosystem stealing AI model access to train knockoff competitors

Anthropic's threat intelligence chief Jacob Klein documented what he characterizes as a coordinated international effort to access Claude and other proprietary AI systems without authorization, then use that access to train competing models sold at lower prices—a practice called model distillation. According to Klein, the operation involves dark web marketplaces and constitutes intellectual property theft. The company is attempting enforcement action against what it describes as an illegal ecosystem.