Former Fed Chair Ben Bernanke Appointed to Anthropic's AI Governance Board

Summary

Anthropic has appointed Dr. Ben Bernanke, former Chair of the Federal Reserve and 2022 Nobel Prize winner in Economic Sciences, to its Long-Term Benefit Trust (LTBT), an independent governance body created to ensure the company's AI development aligns with its mission of responsible advancement for humanity's benefit. Bernanke served as Federal Reserve Chair from 2006 to 2014, navigating the 2008 financial crisis, and spent over two decades as an academic economist at Princeton studying financial crises and the role of banking systems.

The LTBT is a key component of Anthropic's governance as a Public Benefit Corporation, designed to balance commercial interests with public good. Members of the trust hold no equity, don't share profits, and are selected for their expertise across diverse domains. They have authority to appoint board members and advise leadership on decisions involving AI risks and societal impacts. Bernanke's appointment will focus on a critical question Anthropic studies closely: how advanced AI is reshaping economies and labor markets.

Bernanke joins existing trustees Neil Buddy Shah (Chair), Richard Fontaine, and Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar, bringing the trust's collective expertise to include global health, national security, law, policy, and economics. His expected contributions will center on economic research and implications as AI becomes increasingly transformative for workforces and broader economic systems.

• LTBT trustees hold no financial stake in Anthropic, ensuring independent judgment on AI safety and societal implications