5 min readNew DelhiAug 12, 2026 07:11 AM IST First published on: Aug 12, 2026 at 07:11 AM ISTCompanies operating UPI platforms are understood to have told the government in private meetings that the cost of securing the payments network is rising sharply, with emerging artificial intelligence (AI) systems adding a new layer of risk to fraud prevention and cybersecurity.The firms are understood to have specifically flagged threats posed by Anthropic’s Mythos Preview, arguing that defending payment systems against increasingly capable AI tools will require greater investment, a concern they have cited as part of their broader pitch for allowing a merchant discount rate (MDR) on UPI transactions.