Ben Bernanke Takes AI Watchdog Role at Anthropic

Bernanke said the outcome of AI's potential depends on the institutions built around the technology. “Anthropic has created a unique governance structure to try to ensure that the long-run benefits of AI for humanity far outweigh the risks,” he said. “I am honored to have this opportunity, and I will try to contribute in any way I can to this critical mission.”

The Long-Term Benefit Trust has three other trustees: Neil Buddy Shah, CEO of the Clinton Health Access Initiative; Richard Fontaine, CEO of the Center for a New American Security; and Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar, a Stanford law professor and director of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. Shah, who chairs the trust, said Bernanke led the Fed through the worst financial crisis in nearly a century “with expertise, independence and sound judgment.”

New trustees are selected by existing ones, in consultation with Anthropic. They are independent of management and investors, compensated only for time and service, with no equity or profit share, the release said.

Anthropic also announced Thursday that it added a reflection dashboard to Claude, its AI platform, to help users refine their interactions, and launched a website where users can ask about AI's impact on jobs, society, and families.