Anthropic says it’s committing 5% of its shares to a ‘public benefit fund’
Anthropic is committing 5% of its shares to a new public benefit fund to support societal good projects. The initiative aims to address AI-related societal challenges and restore public trust in the industry.
Why it matters
This represents a significant corporate governance move by a major AI lab to address ethical concerns and potential negative impacts of rapid AI development.
Anthropic announced on Sunday that it’s creating a “public benefit fund” that will give the company “increased flexibility and scale” to support projects for societal good.
Anthropic said that it will commit 5% of its shares to the fund — structured as a wholly owned entity within the company — with the option to contribute an additional 2% for every 50% increase in Anthropic’s value. And it offered some broad-strokes ideas for how this money might actually be used, such as “large donations to traditional nonprofits or direct distributions to specific populations.”
There’s also the impact that AI might have on the job market, which Anthropic has already committed $200 million to study . But, the company said, “given the pace of AI progress, bolder approaches may be needed. The Fund will have the versatility to pursue them.”
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