Anthropic Appoints Former Fed Chair Ben Bernanke to Its Long-Term Benefit Trust

Anthropic appointed Ben Bernanke to its Long-Term Benefit Trust on Thursday. The trust serves as the company's independent governance structure that advises Anthropic and appoints its board members. Bernanke served as Federal Reserve chairman from 2006 to 2014 after succeeding Alan Greenspan.

He led the central bank through the 2008 financial crisis and received the Nobel Prize in economics in 2022 for research on the causes of the Great Depression. In his new role, Bernanke will help Anthropic understand how artificial intelligence is changing the economy, the company said.

He becomes the fourth member of the trust, joining Neil Buddy Shah, CEO of the Clinton Health Access Initiative, national security expert Richard Fontaine, and international affairs expert Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar, who was appointed in January.

Members of the trust hold no equity in Anthropic and receive compensation only for time and service, according to the company. Existing trustees select new members in consultation with Anthropic. Anthropic was founded in 2021.

CNBC reported that the company is valued at $965 billion and is preparing for a potential initial public offering as soon as this year. Bernanke said in a statement that Anthropic has created a unique governance structure to try to ensure that the long-run benefits of AI for humanity far outweigh the risks.

He added that he is honored to have the opportunity and will try to contribute in any way he can to the mission.