Anthropic has disclosed plans for a US stock-market listing while warning that artificial intelligence could pose “catastrophic or existential risks to humanity.” The Claude developer has not yet announced the number of shares, price range or listing date, but said it plans to trade on the Nasdaq under the symbol ANT.
Anthropic prepares for Nasdaq listing
The company’s expected valuation is discussed alongside SpaceX, which became the largest public offering in history with an initial valuation of about $1.8 trillion in the summer.
Anthropic reported revenue of $16.3 billion (£12.2 billion) in the first half of this year, alongside losses of more than $80.7 billion.
If completed, the listing would make Anthropic the first publicly traded company dedicated entirely to AI and would provide a major test of investor confidence in the technology’s future.
Warnings about advanced AI
In a filing ahead of the listing, Anthropic said policymakers, regulators, researchers and people working within organisations had raised concerns that AI systems could pose significant risks to humanity.
The filing said advanced AI systems “if not developed, deployed, and operated with appropriate safeguards, oversight, and safeguards, could pose catastrophic or existential risks to humanity, especially if such systems are misused, replicated, weaponized, or operated with a high degree of autonomy.”
Anthropic was founded five years ago by chief executive Dario Amodei, his sister Daniela Amodei and five others. The company announced its intention to go public in June.
OpenAI also plans a listing
Anthropic’s main rival, OpenAI, quickly followed with plans of its own. OpenAI’s listing is expected to take place early next year, according to people familiar with the company’s plans.
The announcements came amid a wave of cybersecurity and other technology breaches involving AI agents, or bots designed to operate with some degree of autonomy.
Current and former employees of both companies have also warned that AI is being developed without sufficient safeguards to protect humanity from potential future harms caused by AI tools.
Copyright lawsuit involving Elvis Presley songs
Anthropic announced its equity-listing plans on Monday as the rights holders of Elvis Presley’s songs sued the company. They accuse Anthropic of using hundreds of songs by the rock ’n’ roll star to train its Claude chatbot.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk