Anthropic launches think tank amid Pentagon blacklist dispute

In the midst of a lengthy dispute against the Pentagon, which resulted in a blacklist and a lawsuit, Anthropic is reorganising its executive team and research ambitions.

The company revealed on Wednesday the establishment of an internal think tank, the Anthropic Institute, merging three of its existing research divisions. 

This initiative will delve into the extensive impacts of AI, exploring topics like “the effect on employment and economies, its potential to enhance safety or introduce risks, the manner in which its values influence ours, and if human control can be maintained,” according to the company.

The announcement also accompanied leadership shifts. Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark is transitioning to a new position steering the think tank. 

Assuming the new title of head of public benefit, he steps away from his long-standing role as head of public policy. 

Expanding threefold in 2025, the public policy team, as noted by Anthropic, will now be led by Sarah Heck, formerly in charge of external relations. 

Alongside opening their intended Washington, DC office, the public policy team will oversee matters concerning national security, AI frameworks, energy, and “reinforcing democratic leadership in AI.”

The Anthropic Institute begins with approximately 30 members, including founders like Matt Botvinick from Google DeepMind; Anton Korinek, who is on academic leave from the University of Virginia’s economics department; and Zoe Hitzig, a researcher who departed OpenAI following its decision to integrate ads into ChatGPT. 

This new think tank unites Anthropic’s team researching societal effects of AI; its advanced red team, which tests AI systems for weaknesses; and its economic research unit examining AI’s economic and workforce repercussions. 

Aiming to “foster” new groups, the Anthropic Institute envisions research led by Botvinick into AI’s influence on legal frameworks.

Large economic studies will be overseen by Hitzig and Korinek. Clark anticipates that their team will double annually for the foreseeable future.