Anthropic is making two big headlines at once: the AI provider reports that its model Claude has discovered a previously unknown, CRISPR-like enzyme system in the DNA of bacteriophages, while CEO Dario Amodei, together with other AI leaders, calls for global rules to manage the technology's risks at the UN General Assembly.
- According to Anthropic, Claude has identified a CRISPR-like enzyme system in phage DNA, whose exact function remains unclear.
- Dario Amodei says, according to Fox Business, that AI could cure most major diseases within a decade.
- At the UN General Assembly, the heads of Anthropic and OpenAI are calling for global agreements to limit AI risks, according to Al Jazeera and ABC News.
- The US rejects the call for global AI standards, according to the BBC.
- Amazon is opening its AI seller tools to an Anthropic agent, MediaPost reports.
What exactly did Claude discover?
According to Anthropic, Claude has spotted a previously overlooked enzyme system in the DNA of bacteriophages – viruses that infect bacteria – that bears similarities to CRISPR, as reported by Al Jazeera and FirstWord. However, Decrypt points out that Anthropic itself admits it does not yet know the exact function of the discovery.
What are Anthropic and OpenAI calling for at the UN?
At the UN General Assembly, the heads of OpenAI and Anthropic called for global regulation and cooperation to limit AI's risks to humanity, according to Al Jazeera and ABC News. According to the Financial Times, Amodei advocated for 'narrow' safety agreements. However, the BBC reports that the US has rejected the calls for global AI standards.
What could the enzyme discovery be used for?
That remains open, according to Decrypt: Anthropic has reported the finding but does not yet know of any concrete application or function for the enzyme system.
How is the US responding to the AI leaders' demands?
According to the BBC, the US rejects the proposals for global AI standards put forward by OpenAI and Anthropic at the UN.
We are at a crossroads
OpenAI and Anthropic leaders, according to ABC News
These events reveal two sides of Anthropic: on one hand, the ambition to enable scientific breakthroughs in biology with Claude; on the other, the political call for global guardrails on its own technology – while at least the US government has so far, according to the BBC, waved it off. At the same time, Anthropic is expanding its business: according to MediaPost, Amazon is opening its AI seller tools to an Anthropic agent, also supporting advertising functions.
