Key facts
- Anthropic committed $200 million to research AI's economic and job market impacts.
- CEO Dario Amodei proposed government support for AI-displaced workers, including UBI.
- Amodei suggested AI regulation should mirror aviation safety standards.
- President Donald Trump plans to meet with AI executives to discuss public benefit sharing.
- Anthropic is also launching a $150 million fellowship program for AI benefits distribution.
Anthropic announced on Wednesday an initial $200 million investment to research the economic and job market impacts of artificial intelligence, joining a growing chorus of calls for the AI industry to mitigate technological disruptions.
Alongside new policy proposals, Anthropic CEO and co-founder Dario Amodei published an essay advocating for government economic support for individuals financially affected by AI. He posited that AI could cause more significant and prolonged labor market disruptions than previous technological advancements, emphasizing the need to ensure equitable benefit sharing.
This announcement follows similar sentiments from rival OpenAI, which recently outlined goals for widely distributing AI's economic gains. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has discussed with Senator Bernie Sanders a plan for public ownership stakes in AI companies to create a wealth fund.
President Donald Trump also indicated he would soon meet with leading AI company executives to discuss corporate contributions to the public. He suggested that such contributions could make AI "very popular."
In his essay, Amodei detailed proposals for tracking AI job displacement, incentivizing employment, and implementing mechanisms like universal basic income, potentially financed through taxes on "relevant companies" or capital gains. The $200 million commitment will fund research trials and program evaluations for promising public policies through Anthropic's Economic Futures Research Fund.
The company is also launching a $150 million national fellowship program aimed at extending AI benefits to communities across America. Anthropic's proposed economic policy framework includes recommendations for U.S. government responses to various levels of AI-driven economic disruption, including scenarios with 5% and 10% national unemployment rates.
For unprecedented disruption levels, Anthropic suggests permanent support mechanisms such as basic income, sovereign wealth models, and equity-sharing. The company, known for its focus on AI safety, also proposed that government should have the power to block AI models posing significant catastrophic risks, recommending regulatory models similar to those for aircraft, automobiles, and drugs.