# Anthropic Long-Term Benefit Trust

_Posted by John Morley (Yale Law School), David Berger and Amy Simmerman (Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati), on_
_Saturday, October 28, 2023_

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[Artificial intelligence](https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/tag/artificial-intelligence/), [Board of Directors](https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/tag/board-of-directors/), [stockholders](https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/tag/stockholders/), [Voting Trustees](https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/tag/voting-trustees/)

**More from:** [Amy Simmerman](https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/contributor/amy-simmerman/), [David Berger](https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/contributor/david-berger/), [John Morley](https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/contributor/john-morley/)

[John Morley](https://law.yale.edu/john-d-morley) is a Professor of Law at Yale Law School. [David J. Berger](https://www.wsgr.com/en/people/david-j-berger.html) and [Amy L. Simmerman](https://www.wsgr.com/en/people/amy-l-simmerman.html) are Partners at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.

Artificial intelligence promises to be one of the most transformative technologies of our time. Can corporate governance evolve to ensure that it develops safely and responsibly? Anthropic, PBC, one of America’s leading AI labs, offers an innovative answer. This post describes the company’s attempt to fine-tune the levers of corporate governance through a novel arrangement called the “Anthropic Long-Term Benefit Trust.” The Trust brings together a group of experts in AI and ethics and grants them the power over time to elect a majority of Anthropic’s board of directors. We served as outside counsel for Anthropic in designing and drafting this arrangement. [\[1\]](https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2023/10/28/anthropic-long-term-benefit-trust/#1) This post outlines some of the key components of the Trust and the company’s motives for adopting it.

The Trust’s origins [began with a deep commitment among Anthropic’s founders](https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/23794855/anthropic-ai-openai-claude-2) to social good. Anthropic’s founders believe that AI may soon become immensely powerful. They also acknowledge, however, that the companies developing AI have yet to be limited from the outside by the sorts of laws and norms that constrain other powerful technologies. The founders further believe that the safety and social benefit of AI technology go hand in hand with profits and commercial success. Anthropic can only be a leader on safety if it is also a leader in tech

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