Anthropic co-founder and CEO Dario Amodei made headlines recently by calling for slowing the development of increasingly powerful AI models to give safety measures time to catch up. 
That only increased the urgency of another effort within the company, which is expanding: An initiative to help governments and nonprofits use the models available today.

Elizabeth Kelly leads that effort as Anthropic’s head of “beneficial deployments,” which works with governments and nonprofits to put Claude, the company’s AI model, to use.

Before joining Anthropic, she led the U.S. AI Safety Institute, which worked to evaluate risk and develop safety standards for frontier AI systems. In a live recording of the Global Progress in the AI Era podcast at Devex Impact House on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, she argued that her past and present roles are connected.

“Safety and access are two sides of the same coin,” Kelly said. “We are not going to see any of the benefits from AI unless we really invest in safety.”

Anthropic used speaking engagements this week at UNGA81 to showcase organizations working with its technology. At its own event on Tuesday, titled The Briefing, speakers included Meenakshi Ramesh, CEO of Pratham Education Foundation, Rwanda’s Minister of Information and Communications Technology and Innovation Paula Ingabire, and Rania Dagash-Kamara from the U.N.’s World Food Programme.

In the podcast interview, Kelly expanded on Anthropic’s partnership with Rwanda, its first multisector government partnership in Africa, which was announced earlier this year. She also pointed to Anthropic’s work with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, or CEPI, on producing situation reports during the recent Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Other examples she cited included the International Rescue Committee’s work on child malnutrition in Nigeria and maternal care in Burkina Faso.

Anthropic co-founder and CEO Dario Amodei made headlines recently by calling for slowing the development of increasingly powerful AI models to give safety measures time to catch up. That only increased the urgency of another effort within the company, which is expanding: An initiative to help governments and nonprofits use the models available today. Elizabeth Kelly leads that effort as Anthropic’s head of “beneficial deployments,” which works with governments and nonprofits to put Claude, the company’s AI model, to use. Before joining Anthropic, she led the U.S. AI Safety Institute, which worked to evaluate risk and develop safety standards for frontier AI systems. In a live recording of the Global Progress in the AI Era podcast at Devex Impact House on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, she argued that her past and present roles are connected. “Safety and access are two sides of the same coin,” Kelly said. “We are not going to see any of the benefits from AI unless we really invest in safety.” Anthropic used speaking engagements this week at UNGA81 to showcase organizations working with its technology. At its own event on Tuesday, titled The Briefing, speakers included Meenakshi Ramesh, CEO of Pratham Education Foundation, Rwanda’s Minister of Information and Communications Technology and Innovation Paula Ingabire, and Rania Dagash-Kamara from the U.N.’s World Food Programme. In the podcast interview, Kelly expanded on Anthropic’s partnership with Rwanda, its first multisector government partnership in Africa, which was announced earlier this year. She also pointed to Anthropic’s work with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, or CEPI, on producing situation reports during the recent Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Other examples she cited included the International Rescue Committee’s work on child malnutrition in Nigeria and maternal care in Burkina Faso.

Global Progress in the AI era: As Anthropic urges caution on AI, its ‘beneficial deployments’ work grows

This week we are closely tracking the conversations at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly and what they mean for the global development sector. From U.S. President Donald Trump’s speech rejecting international governance frameworks and championing national sovereignty to questions around AI regulation, we break down what the discussions at the U.N.’s headquarters in New York mean for this new era of global policy.

Beyond reflecting on outgoing U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres’ legacy, we unpack the latest developments in the secretary-general race. Amid the leadership discussions, we analyze whether traditional development priorities are increasingly taking a back seat to broader geopolitical tensions and global security issues.

To dig into these topics, Adva Saldinger sits down with Colum Lynch for a live recording of our weekly podcast series.

This week we are closely tracking the conversations at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly and what they mean for the global development sector. From U.S. President Donald Trump’s speech rejecting international governance frameworks and championing national sovereignty to questions around AI regulation, we break down what the discussions at the U.N.’s headquarters in New York mean for this new era of global policy. Beyond reflecting on outgoing U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres’ legacy, we unpack the latest developments in the secretary-general race. Amid the leadership discussions, we analyze whether traditional development priorities are increasingly taking a back seat to broader geopolitical tensions and global security issues. To dig into these topics, Adva Saldinger sits down with Colum Lynch for a live recording of our weekly podcast series.

This Week in Global Dev: #163: Live from UNGA: Navigating the new era of multilateralism

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#30: The new U.S. development finance institution, explained

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#29: The biggest stories from the 73rd UN General Assembly

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#28: What's next for climate action?

Some who have reported sexual abuse at the UN have described challenging bureaucratic hurdles, inconsistent processes, and deep emotional and professional stress resulting from their complaints.

What are the proposed changes at the UN — and will they have an impact? UN Correspondent Amy Lieberman weighs in.

Some who have reported sexual abuse at the UN have described challenging bureaucratic hurdles, inconsistent processes, and deep emotional and professional stress resulting from their complaints. What are the proposed changes at the UN — and will they have an impact? UN Correspondent Amy Lieberman weighs in.

#27: How the UN is rethinking its response to sexual harassment

How can NGOs engage influencers? What's the key to a timeless slogan? In this episode, Devex engagement editor Kate Midden and communications guru Carine Umuhumuza discuss key lessons from Nike's #JustDoIt campaign.

#26: What global development can learn from Nike

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Experts say breast is best, even in emergency situations. Here's how humanitarian organizations are working to ensure mothers continue breastfeeding — even amidst crisis.

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#23: A look inside the global response to HIV/AIDS

#22: Can foreign aid curb the Central American migrant crisis? by Devex

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Associate Editor Adva Saldinger shares the biggest trends in impact investing on the heels of the Vatican Impact Investing Conference.

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