Anthropic tells investors it will be profitable for second straight quarter

Anthropic tells investors it will be profitable for second straight quarter. Figure caption, AI "more powerful by the day", Anthropic co-founder tells BBCByKali Hays, Technology reporter and Faisal Islam, Economics editorPublished14 September 2026Updated 6 hours agoAn artificial intelligence "kill switch" which can be checked by a third party may need to be mandatory for companies, a co-founder of one of the world's largest AI firms has told the BBC.

What happened

AI staff 'genuinely frightened' for humanity's future, ex-Anthropic researcher tells BBCPublished1 day agoClark told the BBC that specifics around "kill switch" requirements and verification should be part of "the larger policy conversation" taking place around AI. That compares to a second quarter in which the bank posted a 50% jump in investment banking fees and a 33% jump in trading revenue. Win Mcnamee | Getty ImagesBank of America is seeing a far more subdued few months for its Wall Street advisory and trading businesses after a blockbuster second quarter, CEO Brian Moynihan told analysts Monday.

Jack Clark, one of seven founders of Anthropic, said a way of shutting off AI software completely if it gets too dangerous was something society "might want to eventually pass rules around". Clark said "most labs have different ways of being able to pull the plug", including Anthropic, but said lawmakers may need to enforce having one. Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei over the weekend called for the pace of AI development to slow and be more closely monitored, as the company has done before, though some have questioned the motivations behind this.

"Anthropic, which was formed in 2021 by a group of former employees of its rival OpenAI, is currently at the centre of a debate around AI safety.

The wider picture

Last week, a post from an artificial intelligence researcher who quit Anthropic over concerns AI could wipe out humanity went viral. In response, Anthropic scientist Evan Hubinger said he personally thought the possibility of human extinction from AI was ">10% within the next decade". Anthropic, which was valued at $965bn (£713bn), is preparing for an initial public offering on the stock market, allowing people to buy shares in its firm. Anthropic created the popular chatbot Claude and has this year released a number of increasingly capable AI models, the technology underlying AI chatbots.

Alongside OpenAI, Anthropic has since self-reported a number of incidents where AI agents, which are bots that operate somewhat autonomously, have acted in ways that were unexpected. Skip NavigationMarketsBusinessInvestingTechPolitics & PolicyVideoWatchlistInvesting ClubPROLivestreamMenuKey PointsBank of America's investment banking fees will likely decline by more than 10% in the third quarter from the year-earlier period, while trading revenue will be roughly flat, CEO Brian Moynihan said Monday. The muted outlook from the country's second-largest bank by assets could be an early signal that Wall Street's AI-fueled advisory and trading boom might have hit turbulence.

While Moynihan pointed to a robust deal pipeline, particularly in middle-market investment banking, the projected double-digit decline in investment banking may make investors wonder if the industry's surge in capital markets activity will prove short-lived.

What has been reported

Later Monday, Citigroup CFO Gonzalo Luchetti told analysts that investment banking is tracking for "low-single-digit" revenue growth in the third quarter, while trading was heading for "mid-single-digit" revenue growth. Those figures could climb if Citigroup's bankers and traders end the quarter on a strong note, he said. Figure caption, 'There is a possibility of human extinction,' former Anthropic employee says about AIByBrandon Livesay and Mitchell Labiak, business reporterPublished13 September 2026An artificial intelligence researcher who quit AI firm Anthropic has said people working on the technology were "genuinely frightened" about the speed of its advancements and what it could mean for humanity.

The 27-year-old's former boss, Anthropic head Dario Amodei, recently called for AI development to slow down – though some have questioned the motivations behind this. Coxon – who worked at OpenAI before joining Anthropic – welcomed the suggestion of a slowdown but said it would need to be co-ordinated with China to avoid "a race at an international scale". Anthropic boss Dario Amodei calls for AI development to slow downPublished2 days agoThe hardest question to answer, according to Coxon, was what an AI apocalypse would look like.

In response to Coxon's departure, an Anthropic spokesperson told BBC News: "We have always been transparent that AI will bring both enormous benefits and unprecedented risks. Anthropic researcher believes more than 10% chance AI 'could kill all humans'Published5 days agoMany others in the industry have also voiced their concerns since Coxon's social media post, including Anthropic scientist Evan Hubinger.

What happens next

Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is a paid adviser to Anthropic, wrote in the Sunday Times, external that he too was worried about the risk of AI to humanity despite generally being optimistic. "After Amodei's essay was published, however, Delangue offered to help be a part of the potential solutions the Anthropic boss proposed. Grindr chief executive George Arison expressed similar views when talking to the BBC, suggesting Anthropic and others statements were being made to drum up investor support.

Other critics say Anthropic has been trying to trigger a regulatory push to block competition, leaving it and OpenAI in a duopoly. Anthropic is reportedly preparing for a potentially record-setting initial public offering on the stock market, allowing people to buy shares in its firm. Claude maker seeks to ease cash burn concerns before blockbuster IPO amid fears over pace of AI development AI's rapid development and fears over the risks it poses to humanity have been thrust into the spotlight by a series of warnings from executives and staff at AI firms.

The report has been compiled by The Daily Waves using information reported across bbc.co.uk, cnbc.com. Details are presented according to the information available at the time of publication and may change as authorities, organisers or other relevant parties provide updates.