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Anthropic to sign deal with Australia on AI safety and economic data tracking

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By Reuters | Updated: April 1, 2026

SYDNEY, April 1 (Reuters) – Anthropic said on Wednesday it would sign an agreement to share its economic index data ​with the Australian government to help track ‌artificial intelligence adoption across the economy, and its impact on workers and jobs.

Under the agreement, the Claude maker will share ​findings on emerging AI model capabilities and ​risks, participate in joint safety evaluations, and collaborate ⁠on research with Australian universities. Anthropic said it ​would also target investments in data centre infrastructure and ​energy across Australia.

“Australia’s investment in AI safety makes it a natural partner for responsible AI development,” Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said ​in Canberra, where he is expected to meet ​Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday.

“This memorandum of understanding gives ‌our ⁠collaboration a formal foundation.”

The deal mirrors similar agreements with safety institutes in the United States, Britain and Japan.

Australia currently has no specific AI legislation. The centre-left ​Labor government has ​said it ⁠would rely on existing laws to manage emerging AI risks while introducing voluntary ​guidelines amid privacy and safety concerns.

In its National ​AI ⁠Plan released in December, Labor outlined a roadmap to ramp up AI adoption across the economy, attract data ⁠centre ​investment, and build AI skills ​to support jobs as the technology becomes more integrated into daily life.

Reporting ​by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Edmund Klamann

© Thomson Reuters 2026