Key facts
- Musk plans to give away SpaceX shares to American children.
- Anthropic will commit 5% of its shares to a public good fund.
- The AI industry faces scrutiny over safety and societal impact concerns.
Elon Musk and AI firm Anthropic have announced plans for significant share giveaways amid growing scrutiny of the artificial intelligence industry. Musk stated on social media that he will give one of his SpaceX shares to every child in America next year, a move he described as the first of many such initiatives. This announcement followed Anthropic's pledge to commit 5% of its shares to a fund dedicated to the "public good." The AI developer also indicated that its board could allocate an additional 2% of shares to this fund. Anthropic specified that none of the shares in its Public Benefit Fund would be used for lobbying or political donations. These pledges come as AI companies face intense pressure regarding safety concerns and the potential impact of the technology on society and employment. One former Anthropic employee, Jacob Coxon, recently resigned citing fears about AI's rapid progress, a sentiment echoed by some in the industry who advocate for slowing down development.