June 27, 2025 – Anthropic has announced the launch of the Economic Futures Program, a new initiative aimed at supporting research and policy development in response to the economic effects of artificial intelligence. As AI technologies continue to transform the nature of work, this program seeks to better understand those changes and help shape proactive strategies for managing them.
The Economic Futures Program expands on Anthropic’s existing Economic Index, which tracks AI adoption across the workforce. The new initiative focuses on three interconnected pillars:
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Research Grants: Funding independent investigations into AI’s impact on labor markets, productivity, and value creation.
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Evidence-Based Policy: Facilitating collaboration between researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders to craft practical policy proposals based on real-world data.
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Economic Measurement and Data: Scaling up the Economic Index into a longitudinal data resource, with regular public releases to inform both research and decision-making.
Each of these pillars is designed to reinforce the others—strong data leads to better research, which in turn supports more effective policy.
Program Components
To kick off the program, Anthropic is introducing a set of initiatives:
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Economic Futures Research Awards will offer rapid grants of up to $50,000 to support empirical studies on AI’s economic impact. Applications are open on a rolling basis, with initial awards to be made in mid-August.
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Economic Futures Symposia will invite selected authors of evidence-based policy proposals to present their ideas at events in Washington, DC and Europe this fall. The deadline for proposals is July 25, 2025.
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Strategic Research Partnerships are also being encouraged. Anthropic is seeking collaborations with independent research institutions and will offer API credits and other resources to support in-depth studies of AI’s role in the economy. Interested organizations are invited to reach out via [email protected].
The Case for Action
Anthropic emphasizes that the economic implications of AI are becoming increasingly urgent and complex. With AI adoption accelerating across industries, the company argues that policymakers and business leaders need clear, data-driven insights— not just speculation or opinion. That belief drove the creation of the Economic Index, and now underpins the broader Economic Futures initiative.
The company also stresses that publishing data is only part of the solution. There is a pressing need for actionable proposals to manage the changes AI is bringing to the economy and to the nature of work itself. According to Anthropic, these decisions will touch on foundational questions about the role of labor, the meaning of productivity, and the values that should shape an AI-enabled future.
Looking Ahead
Anthropic describes the Economic Futures Program as a long-term commitment to supporting the research and policy communities in navigating AI’s economic transformation. The organization sees this effort as a collaborative one, and encourages participation from institutions, academics, and policymakers alike.
More information, including details on how to apply for research awards or submit policy proposals, is available at anthropic.com/economicfutures. Questions can be directed to [email protected].
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