Anthropic, the artificial intelligence model developer behind Claude, will contribute 5% of its equity to a public benefit fund, a move aimed at easing mounting concerns over AI safety as the company heads toward an initial public offering.
Anthropic said it would place part of its equity into a fund that will donate to causes tied to the public interest, Bloomberg reported on the 18th. The fund will be set up as a limited liability company wholly owned by Anthropic.
After the initial 5% contribution, Anthropic plans to add another 2% at the board's discretion each time its valuation rises by 50%. Combined with the co-founders' pledge to give away 80% of their holdings and an employee donation matching program, about 20% of Anthropic's equity will be allocated to public benefit purposes. The public benefit fund is a new type of impact investment fund that seeks to generate positive social and environmental effects beyond financial returns. Anthropic also stressed that the equity held by the fund would not be used for lobbying or political donations in the U.S. or abroad.
The announcement came as Anthropic prepares for an IPO as a public benefit corporation, a legal structure that requires management to weigh a defined scope of public interest alongside investor returns. At the same time, the company is focusing on addressing AI safety concerns such as hacking and large-scale job losses, as businesses increasingly adopt AI agents capable of replacing human labor.
The company said AI could pose catastrophic or existential risks to humanity. It devoted about 80 of the 261 pages in the main body of its securities registration statement to describing risk factors. Anthropic said the newly created public benefit fund would allow it to pursue its mission in a new way.
Public Benefit Fund to Build on $200 Million Commitment for AI Job Impact
Anthropic said the fund could support donations to nonprofit organizations, direct distributions to specific groups and efforts to address the impact of AI on the labor market. It identified the effect of AI on workers as a focus area, saying the fund would build on the $200 million (about 270 billion won) it had previously committed to research and responses to labor market disruption.
Companies around the world have cut thousands of jobs after investing heavily in AI, with many citing efficiency gains from rapid adoption of the technology. International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said last week, citing IMF research, that about 40% of jobs would be augmented, downgraded or eliminated by AI, with the share reaching as high as 60% in advanced economies. She said AI technology could bring a slow-moving tsunami that hollows out the low-wage job market.
Anthropic will begin the formal IPO process as early as Nov. 9, with a listing expected as soon as before the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. Separately, the company recently presented its own draft bill to the U.S. Congress for AI safety and security regulation. Its main provision would allow the government to block the release of a model if it risks causing more than 50 deaths or injuries, or damages exceeding $1 billion (about 1.3 trillion won).
