AI startup Anthropic raises funds to develop its Claude model
Google Corporation is increasing its investment in the development of artificial intelligence. It has invested US$1 billion in an AI startup called Anthropic. This will reinforce the IT giant’s position in the advanced technologies market.
It is worth noting that other investors are also showing interest in Anthropic. The startup has raised US$2 billion from venture capitalists, including Lightspeed Venture Partners, which has increased its valuation to US$60 billion.
About Anthropic
Anthropic is leading developments in artificial intelligence. Seven former OpenAI employees, including Daniela and Dario Amodei, founded the company in 2021. The company’s first round of funding took place in 2022. At that time, the startup managed to raise US$580 million. Of this amount, FTX provided US$500 million, led by Sam Bankman-Fried. The products the investors invested in were the Claude family’s speech models.
Significant milestones for the company:
1. Amazon became a minority shareholder in Anthropic in 2023. The company’s initial investment was US$1.25 billion, and it plans to invest a total of US$4 billion.
2. Google invested US$500 million in the same year, with a plan of US$1.5 billion.
3. In 2024, the company announced a further US$4 billion.
The startup aims to research the safety of artificial intelligence. Disagreements over the vision of AI development forced former OpenAI employees to set up their own companies. The team members are positioning the project as a long-term trust fund. They put the public good before profit.
Claude’s language model
The company’s main product is the Claude language model, which originally included two versions. Over time, the Claude family has grown to three models.
The technology’s authors consider Claude constitutional AI, which means that artificial intelligence is integrated with human values. The main goal of AI is to maximise human benefits and safety, and this can be achieved by developing rules within which the AI must operate.
Anthropic also investigates the interpretability of machine learning systems, including automatically identifying generative model characteristics. The startup aims to improve the robot’s capabilities in this way.
AI development and training require significant investment. At the same time, investors are actively supporting such projects in anticipation of future economic benefits. Major players investing in artificial intelligence include OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Apple, and other leading companies. Investment in AI is a key part of a strategy to create innovative products and services, which opens up new opportunities for businesses and society as a whole.
