Anthropic signs AI safety deal with Australia, eyes data centre investments

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

SYDNEY, April 1 (Reuters) - 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 Labor 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, Labor 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. Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Edmund Klamann Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

AI giant Anthropic says 'exploring' Australia data centre investments

Sydney (AFP) - Artificial intelligence giant Anthropic is eyeing data centre investments in Australia, saying Wednesday the nation was a "natural partner" for work in the booming sector. With immense renewable energy potential and vast stretches of uninhabited land, Australia has touted itself as a prime location for the power-hungry data centres needed to power AI. US-based Anthropic said it was "exploring investments in data centre infrastructure and energy throughout the country" after signing a memorandum of understanding with the Australian government. "The visit to Australia marks the beginning of long-term collaboration and investment into the Asia-Pacific region," the technology company said in a statement. "Australia's investment in AI safety makes it a natural partner for responsible AI development." The agreement, signed by Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei in capital Canberra, said the firm would abide by local laws to "maintain strong social licence for investment". Australia's arts sector has accused Anthropic and other AI companies of pushing to loosen copyright laws so chatbots can be trained on local songs and books. Anthropic said it had also agreed to share AI research and safety information with Australian regulators, mirroring similar agreements in Japan and Britain. Industry Minister Tim Ayres said Australia and Anthropic would "harness AI responsibly". Energy-intensive New data centres -- warehouse facilities that store files and power AI tools -- are springing up worldwide. But there are increasing fears about the environmental impact of hulking data hubs. Singapore halted data centre developments between 2019 and 2022 over energy, water and land use worries. Australia last week adopted new rules governing the operation of data centres. Tech companies must show how they will source renewable energy and minimise their emissions. "As demand for AI grows, continued expansion of data centre infrastructure must reflect Australian values and be environmentally and socially sustainable," the guidelines state. Anthropic's Claude is the Pentagon's most widely-deployed frontier AI model and the only such model currently operating on its classified systems. But the company is locked in a dispute with the US government, after saying it would refuse to let its systems be used for mass surveillance. Washington has since described Anthropic's tools as an "unacceptable risk to national security". The United States has not only blocked use of the company's technology by the Pentagon, but also requires all defense contractors to certify that they do not use Anthropic's models.

AI giant Anthropic backs in Albanese government's data centre plan

Global artificial intelligence behemoth Anthropic has committed to Albanese government's AI Plan to lure big tech to Australia, saying it will invest in renewable energy to power data centres, while investing $3 million for medical research across several universities. Dario Amodei, the chief executive of Anthropic, which owns the Claude AI agent, met with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Industry Minister Tim Ayres in Canberra on Wednesday morning to sign a memorandum of understanding between the $US380 billion ($555 billion) tech giant and the government.

Anthropic to sign deal with Australia on AI safety and economic data tracking - The Economic Times

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