Silicon Valley has discussed the potential of generative AI to create new career paths and economic opportunities, such as the increasingly sought-after solo unicorn startup. Financial institutions and analysts have highlighted AI’s ability to enhance GDP. However, these benefits may not be equally shared, given expectations of significant job losses due to AI.
In this context, Anthropic recently launched its Economic Futures Program to support research on AI’s effects on the labor market and global economy, as well as to devise policy proposals to adapt to these changes.
“Everyone is curious about the economic implications [of AI], both positive and negative,” remarked Sarah Heck, head of policy programs and partnerships at Anthropic. “It’s crucial to base these discussions on evidence, rather than having fixed ideas about outcomes or projections.”
Dario Amodei, Anthropic’s CEO, has expressed his thoughts on AI’s potential economic impact. In May, he predicted that AI could potentially eliminate half of all entry-level white-collar jobs, pushing unemployment rates to as high as 20% within the next one to five years.
When asked whether a primary aim of the Economic Futures Program is to explore ways to lessen AI-related job losses, Heck responded cautiously, acknowledging that AI may produce “both good and bad” consequences.
“The main goal is to understand what is actually transpiring,” she stated. “If job losses occur, we should gather experts to discuss mitigation strategies. Conversely, if there’s significant GDP growth, we should engage policymakers to determine appropriate responses. I don’t think any of these issues will have a singular narrative.”
This initiative expands upon Anthropic’s existing Economic Index, launched in February, which provides open-source aggregated, anonymized data to explore the impacts of AI on labor markets and the economy over time—data that many competitors keep proprietary.
The program will concentrate on three primary areas: offering grants to researchers studying AI’s influence on labor, productivity, and value creation; creating platforms to evaluate and develop policy proposals for AI’s economic ramifications; and compiling datasets to monitor AI’s economic application and effects.
Anthropic is initiating the program with several actionable items.
The company has now opened applications for rapid grants of up to $50,000 for “empirical research on AI’s economic impacts” and for evidence-based policy proposals for events hosted by Anthropic in Washington, D.C. and Europe this fall. The firm is also looking to partner with independent research institutions, offering Claude API credits and other resources to aid their research.
Regarding the grants, Heck indicated that Anthropic seeks individuals, academics, or groups capable of delivering high-quality data promptly.
“We aim to complete projects within six months,” she noted. “Peer review isn’t mandatory.”
For the symposia, Anthropic is eager to gather policy ideas from a diverse array of backgrounds and perspectives, according to Heck. She emphasized that policy proposals would extend “beyond labor.”
“We want to learn more about transitions,” she added. “How are workflows adapting? What new jobs are emerging that were previously unanticipated?…Which skills remain valuable and which do not?”
Heck also expressed a desire to investigate AI’s impact on fiscal policy, questioning the implications of a significant transformation in how businesses perceive value creation.
“We are keen to broaden the scope of what can be investigated,” she remarked. “Labor is certainly important, but the focus is much wider.”
In January, Anthropic’s competitor OpenAI unveiled its own Economic Blueprint, emphasizing assistance for public adoption of AI tools, the establishment of robust AI infrastructure, and the creation of “AI economic zones” to streamline regulations for investment. Although OpenAI’s Stargate project to construct data centers nationwide in collaboration with Oracle and SoftBank aims to generate thousands of construction jobs, it does not specifically address AI-induced job losses in its economic blueprint.
Nonetheless, OpenAI’s blueprint does outline frameworks in which the government could support supply chain training pipelines, invest in AI literacy, back regional training initiatives, and enhance public university access to computing resources, thereby fostering locally-skilled workforces in AI.
Anthropic’s economic impact program reflects a gradual but notable shift among certain tech companies to position themselves as part of the solution to the disruptions they are facilitating—motivated by reputational concerns, authentic altruism, or a blend of both. For instance, Lyft recently launched a forum to solicit feedback from human drivers as it begins incorporating robotaxis into its services.
