Google Invests $2 Billion in AI Startup Anthropic
Google has made a significant investment in artificial intelligence (AI) startup Anthropic, pouring an additional $2 billion into the company. This comes after Google’s initial investment of $500 million and a subsequent $550 million investment earlier this year. The tech giant has also struck a multi-year deal with Anthropic worth over $3 billion through its Google Cloud division.
Anthropic’s Ambitions and Rivalry with OpenAI
Anthropic intends to use these funds to train its AI systems, including its AI assistant Claude, in the hopes of achieving groundbreaking advancements in the AI industry. On the other side is OpenAI, which has received more than $13 billion in funding from Microsoft since 2019. OpenAI continues to develop advanced versions of its own AI chatbot, ChatGPT, which garnered over 100 million users within two months of its launch.
The Co-Founders’ Background and Funding History
The co-founders of Anthropic, Dario and Daniela Amodei, previously worked at OpenAI but left due to disagreements with CEO Sam Altman regarding safety concerns related to building AI systems. Before Google and Amazon’s investments, former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried bankrolled Anthropic with approximately $530 million in April 2022. This surge in valuation is seen as positive for FTX creditors who hope to be fully compensated from FTX’s bankruptcy case.
Hot Take: Google’s Continued Bet on AI
Google’s decision to invest an additional $2 billion in Anthropic demonstrates its continued commitment to artificial intelligence. With this investment, Google aims to stay at the forefront of AI innovation and leverage Anthropic’s expertise to advance its own AI capabilities. As the competition in the AI industry intensifies, tech giants like Google are actively seeking partnerships and investments to strengthen their position and drive progress in this rapidly evolving field.