Anthropic urges US not to block state AI laws without setting federal standards

By Courtney Rozen

WASHINGTON, June 10 (Reuters) - ‌Anthropic called ​on the ​U.S. Congress on Wednesday not to block state AI regulations unless lawmakers pass a "rigorous" federal law that addresses "catastrophic AI risks," according ‌to a company statement, as part of a broader proposal ⁠to set rules on the technology.

U.S. President Donald Trump has urged Congress to enact legislation ‌that would supersede state rules on ‌AI. Anthropic on Wednesday weighed in on that topic, adding that Congress should require AI companies to put their most powerful models through independent safety ​tests, according to a company statement.

Anthropic is preparing for a U.S. initial public offering. The listing would represent one of the most consequential stock ⁠market debuts in years, potentially reshaping benchmark indexes, investor flows and the broader narrative driving U.S. equities.

Anthropic did ​not respond to a request for comment from Reuters about the timing of the policy proposal.

The company would need support from ​U.S. President Donald Trump to advance its ‌policy goals in Washington.

The relationship between Trump and Anthropic ruptured earlier this year after the company refused to allow the ⁠U.S. military to use its AI models for domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons systems. The government retaliated by putting it on a national security blacklist, set to ⁠take effect later in the year.

The dispute between the Trump administration and the company is ​showing signs of easing across parts of the U.S. government, Reuters reported on June 5.

The company on Wednesday also urged Congress and states to modernize the technology used to ‌pay unemployment benefits to prepare for potential AI-driven layoffs. Half of Americans fear that the rise of AI could ‌put them or someone in their household out of work, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed ⁠on Monday.

The technology used to ‌pay unemployment benefits is "not ​sufficiently prepared for a large labor market shock," the company said.

(Reporting by Courtney Rozen; Editing by Franklin Paul, Will Dunham and ‌Sonali Paul)

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