Anthropic Appoints National Security Expert Richard Fontaine to Governing Trust

Anthropic, a leading AI company, has appointed Richard Fontaine, a prominent national security expert, to its long-term benefit trust. This move follows Anthropic’s recent unveiling of new AI models tailored for U.S. national security applications, signaling a deeper engagement with the defense sector.

The long-term benefit trust at Anthropic is designed as a governance mechanism to prioritize safety over profit. It holds significant power, including the ability to elect members to the company’s board of directors. Fontaine joins existing trust members such as Zachary Robinson (CEO, Centre for Effective Altruism), Neil Buddy Shah (CEO, Clinton Health Access Initiative), and Kanika Bahl (President, Evidence Action).

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei emphasized that Fontaine’s appointment will enhance the trust’s capacity to navigate complex decisions related to AI and security. “Richard’s expertise comes at a critical time as advanced AI capabilities increasingly intersect with national security considerations,” Amodei stated. He further added, “I’ve long believed that ensuring democratic nations maintain leadership in responsible AI development is essential for both global security and the common good.”

Fontaine’s background includes serving as a foreign policy advisor to the late Sen. John McCain and as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University teaching security studies. He also served as president of the Center for A New American Security, a national security think tank based in Washington, D.C., for over six years. As a trustee, Fontaine will not have a financial stake in Anthropic.

Anthropic’s increasing engagement with U.S. national security customers reflects its pursuit of new revenue streams. The company recently partnered with Palantir and AWS (Amazon Web Services) to offer its AI solutions to defense clients. This collaboration underscores the growing trend of AI companies aligning with the defense sector.

Other major AI labs are also vying for defense contracts. OpenAI is actively seeking closer ties with the U.S. Defense Department, while Meta has made its Llama models available for national security applications. Google is refining its Gemini AI for classified environments, and Cohere is collaborating with Palantir to deploy its AI models.

The appointment of Fontaine follows Anthropic’s naming of Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings to its board in May, further strengthening its leadership team.