Anthropic Pledges at Least 5% of Its Shares to a Public-Benefit Fund

Anthropic said it would give 5% of its shares to a fund that aims to help the public. It may give more if it reaches revenue goals, but it has not said what those goals are. This is the latest step by leading AI companies to reduce political anger about how the technology could affect jobs and society.

Its rival OpenAI has also discussed giving a 5% share of the company to the US government. Both companies are getting ready for stock market listings that could be among the biggest ever. They are doing this as more people react negatively to their new technology.

These concerns are also affecting political discussions. Anthropic has been sharing a draft bill about AI safety with members of Congress. But Semafor’s senior tech correspondent said that, in the view of some people, the proposal is “no longer seen as strong enough.”