Australia, Anthropic sign AI safety & research deal

The Australian government and Anthropic have signed a memorandum of understanding on AI safety and research, linking the company with Australia's National AI Plan.

The arrangement includes work with Australia's AI Safety Institute. Anthropic will share findings on emerging model risks and behaviour, take part in joint safety and security evaluations, and collaborate with Australian academic institutions. It also covers sharing Anthropic Economic Index data with the government to track AI adoption across the economy, its effects and implications for workers.

Initial efforts will focus on industries important to the Australian economy, including natural resources, agriculture, healthcare and financial services. The work will also include developing AI education and training for the workforce.

The memorandum was formalised during a visit to Canberra by Anthropic Chief Executive Dario Amodei, who met Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The structure mirrors similar arrangements Anthropic has with AI safety bodies in the US, UK and Japan.

Research funding

Alongside the agreement, Anthropic announced AUD $3 million in Claude API credits for four Australian institutions. The funding will support projects in disease diagnosis and treatment, genomics, stem cell medicine, and computer science teaching and research.

The recipients are Australian National University, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and Curtin University. The support is part of an expansion of Anthropic's AI for Science programme into Australia.

At Australian National University, a multidisciplinary team at the John Curtin School of Medical Research is using Claude to analyse genetic sequencing data for rare disease research. The university's School of Computing is also introducing Claude into courses that train students in software development and scientific research.

The Garvan Institute of Medical Research plans to use Claude in two genomics projects. One, run with UNSW, focuses on systems that translate human genetic variation into insights about disease processes in specific cell types. The other, with the Centre for Population Genomics, aims to automate genetic analysis the institute described as a bottleneck in diagnosing children with rare genetic conditions.

Murdoch Children's Research Institute is applying Claude to its stem cell medicine programme to improve the identification of therapeutic targets for childhood heart disease. Curtin Institute for Data Science will use the tool in collaborations with academics and across projects in health sciences, humanities, business, law, science and engineering.

Economic data

Anthropic's Economic Index data suggests Australians use Claude across a wider range of tasks than users in most other countries, and that usage in Australia is the most diverse among English-speaking nations. Australian users also often apply the system to high-skill work, including management, sales, business operations and life sciences.

That data will be shared with the government under the memorandum to help officials build a clearer picture of where AI is being used, how it is affecting sectors of the economy and what it may mean for employment.

Anthropic is also exploring investment in data centre infrastructure and energy in Australia, in line with the government's recently announced expectations for data centres. No value was attached to those possible investments.

Separate from the research grants, the company has launched an API credit programme for venture capital-backed deep tech start-ups in areas such as drug discovery, materials science, climate modelling and medical diagnostics. Eligible companies can receive up to USD $50,000, or about AUD $72,000, in API credits.

Anthropic framed the Australian measures as part of a broader push into the Asia-Pacific region and said it is building a local team as it prepares to open a Sydney office.

"Australia's investment in AI safety makes it a natural partner for responsible AI development. This MOU gives our collaboration a formal foundation," said Dario Amodei, Anthropic Chief Executive.

"I'm particularly excited by the work Australian research institutions will be doing with Claude to advance disease diagnosis and treatment," Amodei said.