Claude Corps: Charitable work or charity washing?

Anthropic has come up with a neat way to combat those students who are booing AI at their universities. The company has launched Claude Corps, an endeavor that will pay selected young people to extol the benefits of AI to communities across the US. Anthropic is looking to recruit 1000 “fellows” and introduce them to selected nonprofits. The vision is that both sides benefit: the nonprofits learn how to use AI tools effectively and the young evangelists develop their own knowledge of AI. The company is committing to spend 150m on the project. It will work with two partners: CodePath will act as the fellows’ official employer, while investment advisor Social Finance will lead measurement and evaluation. The fellows will certainly be well rewarded: the companies are paying 85,000 for their yearly commitment, on top of their extensive training. At least 400 nonprofits will be hosting the initial wave of AI enthusiasts. Of course, it’s easy to be cynical about such a venture given the increasing backlash against AI from students. But perhaps Anthropic has genuinely seen an opportunity to improve AI knowledge and equip a new generation with another set of skills. Time will surely tell.