The Anthropic Institute is a new research body that Anthropic launched on March 11, 2026, to study the societal, economic, and governance challenges posed by increasingly powerful AI systems.
The Institute draws on research from across Anthropic and aims to share findings with external researchers and the public. Its work focuses on the period of transition toward AI systems that are substantially more capable than those available today.
Leadership and Structure of the Anthropic Institute
Jack Clark, co-founder of Anthropic, leads the Institute in a new role as Head of Public Benefit. The Institute brings together three existing Anthropic research teams: the Frontier Red Team, which stress-tests AI systems to identify the outer limits of their capabilities; the Societal Impacts team, which studies real-world AI use; and the Economic Research team, which tracks AI’s effect on jobs and the broader economy.
The Institute also plans to incubate new teams. Current efforts include forecasting AI progress and studying how powerful AI will interact with the legal system.
Founding Hires and Research Focus
Anthropic made three founding hires for the Institute. Matt Botvinick, a Resident Fellow at Yale Law School and formerly Senior Director of Research at Google DeepMind and Professor in Neural Computation at Princeton, joins to lead work on AI and the rule of law. Anton Korinek, on leave from his position as Professor of Economics at the University of Virginia, joins the Economic Research team to study how transformative AI could reshape economic activity. Zoë Hitzig, who previously studied AI’s social and economic impacts at OpenAI, joins to connect economics research to model training and development.
Context: Rapid AI Progress
Anthropic noted that it took two years to release its first commercial model and three more years to develop models capable of identifying severe cybersecurity vulnerabilities and performing a wide range of tasks. The company stated it expects more dramatic progress within the next two years. Anthropic’s CEO Dario Amodei has previously described a scenario of extremely powerful AI in a piece titled “Machines of Loving Grace.”
The Institute said it holds a distinct position because it has access to information that only builders of frontier AI systems possess. It stated it will report candidly on what Anthropic learns about the technology it develops.
Public Policy Expansion Alongside the Institute
Alongside the Institute launch, Anthropic said it is expanding its Public Policy organization. The team focuses on model safety and transparency, energy ratepayer protections, infrastructure investments, export controls, and democratic leadership in artificial intelligence governance.
Sarah Heck, who joined Anthropic as Head of External Affairs, will lead the Public Policy team. Before Anthropic, Heck served as Head of Entrepreneurship at Stripe and previously led global entrepreneurship and public diplomacy policy at the White House National Security Council. Anthropic also said it is opening its first Washington, D.C. office this spring and expanding its global policy presence.
“The Anthropic Institute’s goal is to tell the world what we’re learning about these challenges as we build frontier AI systems, and to partner with external audiences to help address the risks we must confront.”
Anthropic, Official Statement
Outlook
The Anthropic Institute is currently hiring for analytical staff to consolidate its research agenda and communicate findings publicly. The Institute stated it will engage with workers and industries facing displacement, as well as communities navigating uncertainty about AI’s impact on the economy and society.