Anthropic and Australian Government MOU for AI Safety and Research

Anthropic and the Australian government have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to cooperate on AI safety research and support the goals of Australia’s National AI Plan. This partnership establishes a formal framework for sharing technical safety findings and investing in high-impact scientific applications of AI within Australia.

AI Safety and Government Collaboration

The MOU focuses on a strategic partnership with Australia’s AI Safety Institute. Anthropic will share findings on emerging model capabilities and risks, participate in joint safety and security evaluations, and collaborate with Australian academic institutions. This arrangement mirrors existing agreements Anthropic holds with safety institutes in the US, UK, and Japan to provide governments with an independent view of frontier AI development.

Economic Impact Tracking

Anthropic will share its Economic Index data with the Australian government to monitor AI adoption and its implications for workers. Initial focus will be placed on sectors critical to the Australian economy, including:

• Natural resources
• Agriculture
• Healthcare
• Financial services

According to Anthropic's Economic Index data, Australians currently use Claude for a more diverse range of tasks than most countries, including high-skill applications in management, sales, business operations, and life sciences.

Scientific Research and Education Investments

Anthropic is extending its "AI for Science" program to Australia with an initial investment of AUD$3 million in Claude API credits. These credits are allocated to four institutions to advance research in clinical genomics, precision medicine, pediatric research, and computing education:

• Australian National University (ANU): The John Curtin School of Medical Research is using Claude to analyze genetic sequencing data for rare diseases, while the School of Computing is integrating Claude into courses for developers and scientists.
• The Garvan Institute of Medical Research: In partnership with UNSW and the Centre for Population Genomics, Garvan will use Claude to automate complex genetic analysis to diagnose children with rare genetic conditions and translate human genetic variation into disease insights.
• Murdoch Children’s Research Institute: Claude will be applied to stem cell medicine programs to improve the identification of therapeutic targets for childhood heart disease.
• Curtin University: The Curtin Institute for Data Science will use Claude to scale collaborations across health sciences, humanities, business, law, science, and engineering.

Infrastructure and Startup Support

Anthropic is exploring investments in data center infrastructure and energy throughout Australia, aligned with the government’s data center expectations.

Additionally, Anthropic has launched a deep tech startup API credit program. VC-backed startups focusing on drug discovery, materials science, climate modeling, and medical diagnostics can receive up to USD$50,000 (approximately AUD$72,000) in API credits to build with Claude.

This collaboration marks the beginning of Anthropic's long-term investment in the Asia-Pacific region, including the upcoming opening of a Sydney office.