Anthropic to sign deal with Australia on AI safety and economic data tracking

Anthropic said on Wednesday it would sign an agreement to share its economic index data with the Australian government to help track artificial intelligence adoption across the economy, and its impact on workers and jobs.

Under ‌the agreement, ⁠the ⁠Claude maker will share findings on emerging AI model capabilities and risks, participate in joint safety evaluations, and collaborate on research with Australian universities. Anthropic said it would also target investments in data centre infrastructure and energy across Australia.

"Australia's investment in ⁠AI safety ‌makes it a natural partner for responsible AI development," Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei ⁠said in Canberra, where he is expected to meet Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday.


"This memorandum of understanding gives our collaboration a formal foundation."

The deal mirrors similar agreements with safety institutes in the United States, Britain and Japan.

Australia currently has no specific AI legislation. The ‌centre-left Labour government has said it would rely on existing laws to manage emerging AI risks while introducing ⁠voluntary guidelines amid privacy and safety concerns.

In its National AI Plan released in December, Labour outlined a roadmap to ramp up AI adoption across the economy, attract data centre investment, and build AI skills to support jobs as the technology becomes more integrated into daily life.