Anthropic signed a memorandum of understanding with the Australian government to cooperate on AI safety research and support Australia's National AI Plan. CEO Dario Amodei met with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra to formalize the agreement.

The company committed AUD$3 million in partnerships with Australian research institutions to use Claude for disease diagnosis, treatment research, and computer science education.

Safety institute collaboration

Central to the MOU is Anthropic's commitment to work with Australia's AI Safety Institute. The company will share findings on emerging model capabilities and risks, participate in joint safety evaluations, and collaborate on research with Australian academic institutions.

This mirrors arrangements Anthropic has with safety institutes in the US, UK, and Japan. Under the agreement, Anthropic will share Economic Index data with the Australian government to track AI adoption across the economy and its impact on workers.

The focus will initially cover sectors critical to Australia's economy: natural resources, agriculture, healthcare, and financial services. Anthropic's recent data shows Australians use Claude for the most diverse range of tasks among English-speaking nations.

"Australia's investment in AI safety makes it a natural partner for responsible AI development," said Amodei. "I'm particularly excited by the work Australian research institutions will be doing with Claude to advance disease diagnosis and treatment."

Research partnerships

Anthropic is extending its AI for Science program to Australia with AUD$3 million in Claude API credits to four institutions. Partners include the Australian National University, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, and Curtin University.

ANU's John Curtin School of Medical Research will use Claude to analyze genetic sequencing data for rare diseases. The ANU School of Computing is embedding Claude into courses to train developers and scientists.

The Garvan Institute will accelerate genomic discovery in two projects: building systems that translate genetic variation into disease insights, and automating genetic analysis for diagnosing children with rare conditions.

Murdoch Children's Research Institute will apply Claude to stem cell medicine research for childhood heart disease therapeutic targets.

Anthropic also launched a deep tech startup API credit program offering up to USD$50,000 in credits for VC-backed companies working on drug discovery, materials science, climate modeling, and medical diagnostics.

The company plans to open a Sydney office and will announce local team leadership in coming weeks.