Anthropic's IPO highlights public resistance to AI as key risk

Anthropic, the five-year-old artificial intelligence startup, has listed public opposition to AI as a key risk in its initial public offering (IPO) prospectus. The company, which is seeking to raise up to $100 billion in its blockbuster IPO, faces growing concerns over the societal impact of its technology. During a recent 'tentative roadshow' in San Francisco, Krishna Rao, Anthropic's chief financial officer, was repeatedly questioned about competition, the pressure on profit margins from open-source models, and the potential impact of slowed data center construction. Like OpenAI, Anthropic is working with infrastructure partners to accelerate the development of advanced models and new services. The tech industry has invested billions in data centers and graphics processors, but public sentiment remains divided. A Gallup survey from May found that 70% of Americans oppose building AI data centers in their local areas, with nearly half expressing strong opposition. Heatmap News reported that 75% of Americans now oppose constructing data centers near their homes, with 61% showing strong opposition. This marks a significant shift from a year ago, when support and opposition were nearly equal at 43% and 42% respectively.