Two artificial intelligence leaders have said they are ready to share some of the wealth the new technology is generating with the public.
Amid growing anxiety that AI could replace people in many jobs, leaders at Anthropic and SpaceX suggested their companies were ready to set aside billions of the success their technology is generating for children and affected people.
Anthropic, the maker of the Claude chatbot, said Sunday that it would put 5% of its shares into a new Anthropic Public Benefit Fund, pending approval from stockholders. Rather than a conventional nonprofit, the fund will be a company-owned limited liability corporation, a setup that Anthropic says allows different kinds of giving.
“We are instead directing that equity to the public benefit,” the company’s statement said.
The fund could make large gifts to nonprofits or send money directly to “specific populations,” the company said. It added that none of the money would be used for lobbying or political donations.
The company pointed to job losses from artificial intelligence as one issue it may tackle. It has already set aside $200 million to study AI’s effect on workers, and said the scale of the technology’s progress may call for “bolder approaches.”
Counting earlier pledges by its founders and employees, Anthropic said about a fifth of its stock will be directed to public benefit, with more possible if it hits valuation targets. The company has not yet laid out how the fund will be governed.
SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk responded to Anthropic’s announcement in an X post, saying: “I recommend giving the shares directly to the public,” later adding, “This is what I will be doing.”
Musk said in a brief X post Monday that he plans to hand over a share of SpaceX stock to “every kid in America” next year.
“Giving shares, which are stakes in the future economy, directly to the people is the way,” he said in a separate post on the platform.
Musk didn’t give details on how the pledge would be accomplished but said it would “be the first of many.”
SpaceX, based in Starbase, Texas, went public in June at $135 a share, valuing it at $1.77 trillion in the largest initial public offering ever. With census data showing there are about 73 million children in the U.S. and SpaceX closing at $147.96 Monday, Musk’s pledge would be worth close to $11 billion.
Anthropic is seeking to list as soon as November, potentially at a valuation of up to $2 trillion, although that figure remains uncertain.
In 2015, Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan pledged 99% of their Facebook shares, then worth about $45 billion, to the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Similar to Anthropic’s plan, the fund was set up as an LLC rather than a charity.
Even earlier in 2005, Google announced that it would commit 1% of its profits and equity toward its philanthropic vision through Google.org, a division of the company rather than a separate foundation.
Direct gifts to children’s investment accounts have gained prominence with the federal “Trump Accounts” program. SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell pledged over $320 million in SpaceX stock to children’s Trump Accounts. Michael and Susan Dell announced last year they would donate $6.25 billion to seed Trump Accounts for 25 million eligible children.
Musk’s and Anthropic’s pledges come as Americans increasingly worry about AI’s effects on their lives and jobs. A June Pew Research Center survey found 71% of U.S. adults expect AI to mean fewer jobs in the U.S. over the next two decades, up from 64% in 2024. Only 5% expect more jobs.
Last month, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called for the industry to slow down, prompting agreement from OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Musk and other tech leaders. The debate intensified after Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon resigned in September, publicly warning about the dangers of unchecked AI development.
