Anthropic, the AI startup founded by Dario and Daniela Amodei, is currently navigating a challenging landscape as it tries to keep pace with OpenAI. The company has been facing criticism from David Sacks, President Donald Trump's AI and crypto czar, who accuses Anthropic of "fear-mongering" and pursuing a "sophisticated regulatory capture strategy" to support "the Left's vision of AI regulation". Sacks' criticism stems from Anthropic's opposition to the Trump administration's efforts to preempt state-level regulation of AI, including a provision that would have blocked such rules for 10 years.
Anthropic has repeatedly pushed back against efforts by the federal government to limit protections, and has instead endorsed California's SB 53, which requires transparency and safety disclosures from AI companies. This move is seen as going against the administration's approach, and Sacks claims that Anthropic's "fear-mongering" is holding back innovation and damaging the startup ecosystem. Sacks denies trying to take down Anthropic, pointing out that the White House recently approved Anthropic's Claude app for government use.
The regulatory standoff between Anthropic and the Trump administration highlights fundamental differences in their approaches to AI safety and development. OpenAI, on the other hand, has lobbied for fewer guardrails and has established itself as a partner to the White House, with a joint venture called Stargate investing billions in U.S. AI infrastructure. Anthropic's focus on safety and transparency has positioned it as a leader in responsible AI development, but also draws scrutiny from policymakers.
Despite challenges, Anthropic remains a major player in the AI landscape, with a valuation of $183 billion, compared to OpenAI's $500 billion. Anthropic's Claude models are popular in enterprise settings, while OpenAI leads the consumer AI market with ChatGPT and Sora. The outcome of this regulatory showdown will likely have significant implications for the future of AI development and regulation in the U.S.
