Sadiq Khan invites Anthropic to move to London

Sadiq Khan has sent Anthropic’s chief executive Dario Amodei an invitation to move to London after the AI giant’s spat with President Trump. 

In a letter to the Anthropic boss, the mayor of London praised the company over its “steadfastness” against pressure after it refused to give the US military access to its tools over fears of mass surveillance and use of autonomous weapons. 

The company’s lucrative contract with the Pentagon was cancelled while the US president officially labelled Anthropic a “supply chain risk” on Thursday, the first time the label has been slapped on a company.

Khan said: “I believe that London can provide a stable, proportionate and pro-innovation environment in which this kind of AI can flourish. 

“That is why I would welcome the opportunity to talk to you – not only about what AI safeguards you think are needed but also about how London could provide an even more significant location and platform for the future of Anthropic.”

The London mayor also asked to meet Amodei on his next visit to London, adding he would like to discuss how Anthropic, which is the maker of Claude, can be supported to “expand operations further” in the capital city. 

Khan makes his move

Amodei’s public war with Trump has triggered speculation over whether Anthropic could ditch the US altogether. 

The US president ordered federal agencies to stop using the company’s AI technology. Sam Altman’s OpenAI signed its own Pentagon contract shortly after Anthropic was shunned. 

Microsoft said Anthropic’s technology could still be used by its customers outside defence projects.

Amodei has vowed to challenge the much-feared “risk” label in US courts as the designation had a “narrow scope”.

“The law requires the Secretary of War to use the least restrictive means necessary to accomplish the goal of protecting the supply chain”, he said. 

Tech enthusiasts had urged the government to woo Anthropic after its fallout with the US government while the Dutch philosopher Rutger Bregman said Europe should welcome the company “with open arms”. 

Khan’s letter praised Anthropic’s “approach to safety and governance” and said London would “provide an even more significant location and platform for the future of Anthropic”. 

He also outlined his commitment to “train up Londoners with AI skills as other jobs are lost”, a reference to a recent speech in which he warned the technology could become a “weapon of mass destruction of jobs”. 

In the speech at Mansion House, he said AI could have a “colossal” impact on work in finance and professional service if guardrails are not put in place.