AI giant Anthropic unveils plans for blockbuster share listing

Artificial intelligence (AI) company Anthropic has disclosed plans to go public with an anticipated initial public offering (IPO) that could be the largest in history. The company, known for its AI chatbot Claude, disclosed a loss of over $80.7bn (£60.5bn) in the first half of the year, despite generating $16.3bn in revenue. The number of shares to be released and their price range remains undisclosed.

Analysts expect Anthropic's valuation upon going public to surpass that of SpaceX, which recently completed the biggest-ever stock listing at a valuation of around $1.8 trillion. In its public filings, Anthropic emphasized its commitment to developing AI technology responsibly, acknowledging that such investments may seem "irresponsibly large."

The firm intends to list its shares on the Nasdaq under the ticker ANT, becoming the first AI company to go public. The technology sector has heavily invested in AI, pouring over $1tn into infrastructure, models, and other related expenses over the past year. Anthropic was founded just five years ago by CEO Dario Amodei, his sister Daniela Amodei, and five other co-founders.

The company previously announced its intention to go public in June, with OpenAI expected to follow soon after, with its IPO slated for early next year. The announcement of such plans has raised concerns about cybersecurity and potential AI-induced threats to humanity, with current and former employees of both companies warning about the dangers of unchecked AI development.