Anthropic, the San Francisco-based creator of the AI assistant Claude, has announced it will commit 5 percent of its shares to a newly established public benefit fund, as the artificial intelligence industry faces growing scrutiny over its impact on society.

The company announced the "Anthropic Public Benefit Fund" on Sunday, saying the initial 5 percent stake would take effect immediately, subject to stockholder approval. An additional 2 percent could be added at the board's discretion for every 50 percent increase in the company's market value.

"Because of the way the Fund is structured, the more Anthropic grows, the larger the share of the company that can be dedicated expressly to the public good," the firm said in a blog post.

Anthropic said the fund could be used to make donations to traditional nonprofits, as well as "direct distributions to specific populations." It added that labour market disruption caused by AI could be among the causes the fund addresses.

"Anthropic has already committed $200 million to studying and addressing this issue, but given the pace of AI progress, bolder approaches may be needed," the company said. "The Fund will have the versatility to pursue them."

The company confirmed the fund would not be used for lobbying or political donations, either in the United States or overseas.

Anthropic is officially registered as a public benefit corporation in the US state of Delaware. Its charter requires leadership to balance shareholder returns with responsible AI development.

The announcement comes as Anthropic prepares for what could be a landmark stock market listing. Analysts forecast a valuation exceeding $1 trillion, with some projections reaching as high as $2 trillion. The company is expected to list on the US stock market before the end of 2026.

Last week, Anthropic told prospective investors that its revenue surged 45 percent to $16.8 billion in the three months to the end of September.

The pledge drew a public response from Elon Musk, who announced on Monday that he would give one of his SpaceX shares to every child in America next year. "Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America. This will be the first of many," Musk wrote on social media. No details have been disclosed on how the shares would be distributed.

Musk's announcement followed his response to Anthropic's pledge, in which he wrote: "I recommend giving the shares directly to the public. This is what I will be doing."

SpaceX set the record for the largest initial public offering in history in June, raising $85.7 billion.

The pledges come amid intense scrutiny of the AI industry over safety concerns and fears about its effects on employment and society more broadly.

Research published by the International Monetary Fund in 2024 suggested that almost 40 percent of jobs worldwide will be affected by AI, with that figure rising to as high as 60 percent in advanced economies. A separate report by consulting firm McKinsey estimated that up to 11 million American workers may need to switch careers over the next decade due to AI-driven automation.

In September, a researcher who resigned from Anthropic said people working on the technology were "genuinely frightened" about the speed of its advancements. "I believe that if we don't slow down at the current rate of progress, there is a strong chance that we could all die in the immediate future," he said.

Anthropic chief Dario Amodei has previously called for AI development to slow down. The heads of OpenAI and SpaceX have both said they agree with his proposal for industry-wide deceleration and independent monitoring of AI model development.

Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump and the heads of major AI firms signed a document described as "morally binding," making them responsible for ensuring the safety of their own technology. Trump has repeatedly rejected the idea of legislation to control AI development.

The president has since named the director of national intelligence, Jay Clayton, as head of a new taskforce on AI, which he said will coordinate government engagement with consumers, companies, and "religious organizations."