From Carnegie to Claude: AI wealth could reshape philanthropy

Jack Clark, co-founder and head of Anthropic’s Public Benefit Fund, speaks at meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group in Bangkok on Oct. 16. | AFP-JIJI

Oct 26, 2026

Washington – A wave of American wealth created by artificial intelligence companies could produce some of the largest charitable sums since the era of Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller, raising questions about where the money goes.

Anthropic, the maker of the Claude chatbot, has said it would commit 5% of its shares to a new Anthropic Public Benefit Fund, a stake that could be worth around $100 billion if the company reaches the $2 trillion valuation investors are eyeing for a stock market debut expected as early as November.

Combined with pledges by its seven co-founders to give away 80% of their equity and a program matching employees’ donations, Anthropic says roughly a fifth of its shares will be dedicated to public-benefit purposes.

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