Anthropic has named national security expert Richard Fontaine as the newest trustee of its long-term benefit trust, a key governance body created to ensure the company prioritizes safety and ethical considerations over profit. Fontaine’s appointment to the trust follows closely behind Anthropic’s recent unveiling of new AI models aimed specifically at U.S. national security applications.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei highlighted Fontaine’s extensive expertise as vital in guiding the company’s strategic decisions involving AI and security matters. “Richard brings invaluable experience at a time when advanced AI increasingly intersects with national security,” Amodei stated. “Maintaining democratic nations’ leadership in responsible AI development is crucial for global security and the common public good.”
The trust, which holds significant influence over the company’s direction—including the authority to elect board members—already includes prominent figures such as Zachary Robinson, CEO of the Centre for Effective Altruism; Neil Buddy Shah, head of the Clinton Health Access Initiative; and Kanika Bahl, president of Evidence Action.
Before joining Anthropic’s trust, Fontaine had a distinguished career as a national security and foreign policy expert. He previously served as a foreign policy advisor to the late Senator John McCain and as an adjunct professor specializing in security studies at Georgetown University. Additionally, Fontaine spent over six years leading the Center for a New American Security, a prominent Washington-based national security think tank.
Anthropic, increasingly interested in serving defense and national security customers as new sources of revenue, last November formed a partnership with Palantir and Amazon Web Services (AWS) to offer its AI technologies to government and defense clients. Anthropic is not alone in pursuing defense contracts, as its competitors like OpenAI, Meta, Google, and Cohere have each expanded efforts to provide AI solutions tailored for national defense and security applications.
Fontaine’s addition continues Anthropic’s push to enhance its leadership team. Last month, the company appointed Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings to its board of directors, underscoring Anthropic’s ongoing ambition to bolster corporate governance amid the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence.
