How AI giants will reshape global philanthropy

The artificial intelligence (AI) industry is poised to transform global philanthropy, with the IPOs of AI pioneers Anthropic and OpenAI expected to establish the world's largest charitable entities. Unlike traditional donations for hospital wing renovations or university scholarships, this new wave of giving will likely mirror startup culture - offering flexible capital, ambitious investments, and a focus on quantifiable impact.

Anthropic has announced plans to launch a significant benefit fund, earmarking 5% of its shares for a public benefit fund, which could reach $100 billion if the company's valuation hits $2 trillion upon its IPO. This commitment, made by Anthropic's co-founders to donate 80% of their equity, has been matched at a 3:1 ratio by a considerable number of company employees. The company's shares from the fund will not be utilized for lobbying or political contributions within the U.S. or abroad.

OpenAI, currently overseen by a non-profit foundation, holds a 26% equity stake in the company, valued at approximately $130 billion based on its current worth. This foundation possesses the authority to appoint members to OpenAI's board. Anthropic asserts that while much of its charitable work, such as AI safety and interpretability research, biomedical research, and discounts for nonprofits and scientific institutions, will continue within the company, the new fund aims to expand the scale of giving in various areas.

The fund's impact extends beyond AI safety and interpretability research, as Anthropic has already pledged $200 million to research and address the effects of AI on the labor market. However, the company has not disclosed specifics on how the fund would directly assist workers impacted by AI. Anthropic's founders and employees have ties to effective altruism, a movement that emphasizes directing resources towards causes with the greatest potential benefit.

This movement has faced criticism from the Trump administration, particularly for its focus on animal welfare and abstract considerations of life value, such as comparing the value of an infant's life to an adult's or future individuals to present individuals.