(Corrects second paragraph to show Trump's ban on Anthropic applied to the company and preceded release of its Mythos tool)

WASHINGTON, April 21 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday told CNBC that AI giant Anthropic was "shaping up" in the eyes of his administration and he was open to a deal to allow the firm to resume working with the Pentagon.

Trump in February directed the government to stop working with Anthropic. The Pentagon followed up by declaring the firm a supply-chain risk, dealing a major blow to the artificial intelligence lab after a showdown over guardrails for how the military could use its artificial intelligence tools.

The company disputes that characterization and filed suit against the Defense Department in March over the determination.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei met with White House officials last week to attempt to repair the relationship. The White House called the meeting productive and constructive.

"They came to the White House a few days ago, and we had some very good talks with them," Trump told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Tuesday. "And I think they're shaping up. They're very smart, and I think they can be of great use. I like smart people."