Anthropic unveiled a research fund and a policy roadmap for governments to follow if AI pushes unemployment sharply higher, with the CEO suggesting taxes on AI firms could one day fund a universal basic income.
The creator of the Claude AI model, Anthropic, has become the latest heavyweight to acknowledge that its own technology could upend the labour market, committing an initial $200 million (€173mn) on Wednesday to research AI's effects on jobs and the wider economy.
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The money will go to what the company calls the "Economic Futures Research Fund", which will back research trials and evaluations of public policies the firm considers promising.
Anthropic is also creating a $150mn (€130mn) fellowship programme that it says will help early-career professionals spread AI's benefits to communities across the US.
In an essay published on his personal website, CEO Dario Amodei argued that AI could cause labour market disruption far larger and longer-lasting than past technological shifts, and suggested that taxes on AI companies could one day help fund a universal basic income.
"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, adding that he was not "trying to be a prophet of doom."
A tiered plan for rising unemployment — and sharing AI's gains
Anthropic's framework sets out how the US government could respond at three levels of AI-driven disruption: unemployment of 5%, 10%, or an unspecified "unprecedented" level.
The latest US jobless rate, released last week, stood at 4.3%.
In the most severe scenario, the company argues permanent support would be needed, citing universal basic income, sovereign wealth models and equity-sharing as ways to spread AI-generated wealth.
Amodei wrote that a universal basic income could be funded through taxes on "relevant companies" or a higher capital gains tax.
The move follows OpenAI's pledge on Monday to ensure AI's gains are "widely shared".
CEO Sam Altman recently met US Senator Bernie Sanders to discuss giving the public ownership stakes in AI firms via a public wealth fund. Both companies are moving towards stock market listings.
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would soon meet AI executives to discuss "giving back" to the public, telling reporters, "if we do that, the public will become very rich."
Anthropic also recommends that governments be able to "block or deter" AI models posing "a significant risk of catastrophic harms".
Amodei argued oversight should match the rigour of US aviation rules, with models tested and audited before release, since AI, like aircraft, cars and medicines, is "capable of killing large numbers of people if designed or operated poorly."
