Anthropic plans to place 5% of its shares in a new entity called the Anthropic Public Benefit Fund, which still needs stockholder approval. The board can add 2% to the fund each time company value rises 50% above an undisclosed baseline. None of the fund's shares will pay for lobbying or political donations.
Anthropic plans to place 5% of its shares in a new entity called the Anthropic Public Benefit Fund. The artificial intelligence company announced the plan Sunday, but it still needs approval from Anthropic’s stockholders.
How will the Anthropic Public Benefit Fund's stake grow?
The fund’s stake is designed to grow with the company. In a blog post, Anthropic said its board can add another 2% of shares each time the company’s value rises 50% above a set baseline. The company has not said what that baseline is.
Can the fund's shares pay for lobbying or political donations?
The fund will not be a charity. It will be a limited liability company wholly owned by Anthropic. The company said that format makes it easier to switch between different kinds of giving. None of the fund’s Anthropic shares will pay for lobbying or political donations, in the United States or elsewhere, the company said.
Anthropic offered two examples of how the money could be used. One is large gifts to established nonprofits. The other is payments made directly to particular groups of people.
The company pointed to the effect of AI on jobs as one area the fund could address. Anthropic has already pledged $200 million to a research fund that studies how society can adapt to AI’s economic impact. The new fund could back bigger efforts if needed. “Given the pace of AI progress, bolder approaches may be needed,” the company said. “The Fund will have the versatility to pursue them.”
Anthropic is a public benefit corporation, a legal form that requires a company to weigh the public interest alongside profit. The company said most of its mission work, including AI safety research and discounts for nonprofits, will stay inside the business.
The fund adds to earlier commitments. Anthropic’s co-founders promised to give away 80% of their equity when they started the business. The company also matches shares that staff choose to donate, and about half of its employees take part.
Taken together, about 20% of Anthropic’s shares will now be set aside for the public good, the company said. That figure does not include any extra shares added as the company’s value grows.
The announcement comes as the AI industry faces increasingly negative public sentiment. Chief Executive Dario Amodei has described that sentiment as “fundamentally a crisis of trust.”
Anthropic said it will share more about the fund’s structure, governance and valuation milestones in the coming months. The company also plans to publish a public benefit report on its progress.
Dieser Artikel wurde mit Unterstützung von KI verfasst.
News Factory APP - agentische News für besseres SEO & AEO.