Anthropic publishes its first annual Public Benefit Report, measuring itself against five pillars from AI safety to shared prosperity
Anthropic is a Public Benefit Corporation. Today, we’re publishing our annual Public Benefit Report. This report shares our five pillars and takes stock of the actions we’re taking to advance them. Read the full report at this page:
Context
As Anthropic heads toward an IPO, the report is its own public account of how it balances profit with its stated mission.
Anthropic is a public benefit corporation, a structure that requires it to balance shareholders' financial interests with a public benefit. According to Anthropic, the trustees of its Long Term Benefit Trust helped define the five pillars and close the report with an assessment of its progress.
Deep dive
On October 21, Anthropic posted that, as a public benefit corporation, it is publishing its annual Public Benefit Report, which shares its five pillars and takes stock of the actions it is taking to advance them.
Anthropic's report page lists the pillars. The first is that the technical problems of AI safety are solved. The second is that AI safety is a universal practice backstopped by law. The third is that AI strengthens democracy and global stability, with democracies holding the lead in AI. The fourth is that AI expands prosperity and human flourishing, and the fifth is that AI's benefits are shared by everyone.
In its announcement about trustee Christopher Stubbs, Anthropic called this its first Public Benefit Report and described it as a public account of how it is working toward its charter and where it is falling short. It said the trustees helped define the pillars, and that the report closes with their assessment. Anthropic also said that, subject to stockholder approval, it has committed to set aside part of its shares for a new Anthropic Public Benefit Fund.
The report comes a day after chief executive Dario Amodei answered a public critique from safety advocate Nathan Calvin, listing steps he said were costly to Anthropic but good for safety, including the public benefit fund. Because the report is written by Anthropic, its assessment of its own progress is not independent.
What to expect next
Watch for reactions from safety advocates such as Nathan Calvin, who may test the report's claims against Anthropic's actions. Details of the Public Benefit Fund, including stockholder approval, could appear in Anthropic's IPO filing. Also watch whether other AI companies structured as public benefit corporations publish similar reports, and whether Anthropic repeats the report each year as promised. Coverage by outside analysts would give an independent view.