Anthropic on Wednesday committed $200 million to studying how artificial intelligence will reshape the labor market, as its chief executive published a personal essay arguing that the government should guarantee economic support for workers displaced by the technology. The announcement from the maker of the Claude chatbot positions Anthropic alongside a growing number of AI companies that have begun publicly advocating for policy interventions — including universal basic income and collective ownership of AI firms — to spread the technology’s financial gains.
In an essay published on his personal website, CEO Dario Amodei wrote that AI could create “much larger disruptions to the labor market than previous technological advancements” and that those disruptions “could last longer.” Amodei argued that the government should offer a promise of economic support to those whose jobs are affected, a position he had previously hinted at in public remarks.
“The key challenge in such a world won’t be incentivizing growth, but finding a way for everyone to share in the benefits,” Amodei wrote.
The investment and policy proposals come two days after rival OpenAI outlined goals that included ensuring that gains from AI technology are “widely shared,” according to the company. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently met with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., to discuss a proposal in which the public would take an ownership stake in AI companies. Under the plan, stock in AI firms such as OpenAI would be used to create a public wealth fund that would distribute the fortune generated by the industry’s largest players.
MSI previously reported that Anthropic had also urged the broader AI industry to coordinate on a pause in advanced AI development, as the company continues to navigate the tension between commercial growth and the societal risks its executives have publicly warned about.