Symbolic imageAnthropic earmarks 5% of its shares for new public benefit fund
Anthropic said on Sunday it will put 5% of its shares into a new public benefit fund. The AI developer is preparing a major IPO as a public benefit corporation.
According to Handelsblatt, Anthropic announced on Sunday, 18 October, that the stake could grow as the company's valuation rises. Together with the new fund, around 20% of its shares are now earmarked for public purposes. The fund is to be set up as a wholly owned subsidiary called the Anthropic Public Benefit Fund. The Financial Times places the move against growing public backlash over the company's safety and economic impact.
What the fund may finance
It is meant to support donations to nonprofits, direct payments to certain population groups and measures to cushion the effects of AI on workers. Its money may not be used for lobbying or political donations, at home or abroad.
IPO and safety image
Handelsblatt says Anthropic is planning one of the largest stock market debuts in history. The company presents itself as a safety pioneer and has warned that AI could develop "self-preserving behaviors".