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cases  while  also  efficiently  serving  a  wide  range  of  cognitive  work  at  scale  across  the  capability-cost-speed 
curve.  We  believe  the  work  that  knowledge  workers  perform  represented  more  than  $40  trillion  in  economic 
value globally in 2025,1 and with frontier AI’s potential to make them meaningfully more productive, our near-
term  opportunity  is  to  expand  this  value  and  accelerate  economic  growth.  While  it  is  still  early  to  forecast 
frontier AI’s full impact across the economy, International Data Corporation (“IDC”) estimates that investment 
in  AI  solutions  and  services  will  yield  a  cumulative  global  economic  impact  of  $22.5  trillion  by  2031.2  We 
believe the impact could be even greater.

Frontier AI May Reshape Entire Sectors and Accelerate Novel Discoveries

We believe frontier AI represents a larger opportunity than any prior technology cycle, and Claude is already 
demonstrating  this  potential.  Claude  can  now  execute  complex  projects  autonomously  and  turn  open-ended 
tasks into finished, high-quality deliverables. These capabilities enable it to transform the largest sectors of the 
economy,  driving  meaningful  gains  in  productivity  and  output.  Frontier  AI’s  capabilities  may  extend  beyond 
current markets to open entirely new ones, reaching domains such as robotics, advanced manufacturing, and 
logistics,  and  accelerating  progress  in  scientific  research,  including  drug  discovery  and  materials  science.  For 
example, in the life sciences sector, where annual global pharmaceutical spend is expected to exceed $2 trillion 
in 2026,3 Claude is used in drug discovery and development by our customers, our biotechnology partners, and 
our own researchers. We are also extending Claude into robotics, where our Model Hardware Standard enables 
AI agents to operate lab and manufacturing equipment such as microscopes, liquid handlers, and off-the-shelf 
robotic arms. Ultimately, we believe frontier AI will help drive global economic growth. As frontier AI makes 
workers and organizations more productive, becomes embedded in the products and services they deliver, and 
unlocks  new  business  models,  it  creates  economic  output  that  did  not  previously  exist.  We  believe  our 
opportunity is to capture a share not only of today’s economic activity but also of that newly created output as 
the global economy expands.

The Importance of Safety and Ethical Behavior

While the potential benefits of AI are extraordinary, its rapid advancement will impact the economy and society 
in  ways  that  could  create  significant  disruption,  particularly  if  the  technology  is  not  developed  and  deployed 
responsibly. For example, bad actors have already conducted high-profile cyberattacks using AI’s capabilities to 
discover  vulnerabilities,  generate  malware,  and  evade  detection  tools;  other  risks  associated  with  misuse, 
including in the domain of biology, could result in even greater harm. AI deployed at scale also has the potential 
to  concentrate  power  and  wealth  both  within  and  between  countries  in  ways  that  could  erode  trust,  harm 
society,  and  destabilize  the  geopolitical  order.  Misaligned  AI  systems  could  corrupt  institutional  decision-
making or cause large-scale harm through autonomous actions that are not visible or understandable to their 
users and operators. We believe that frontier AI companies must invest in safety and alignment to help ensure 
the  responsible  diffusion  of  this  technology.  We  also  believe  that  safety,  alignment,  and  ethical  behavior 
resonate  particularly  strongly  with  enterprises,  where  rigorous  safeguards,  predictable  model  behavior,  and 
demonstrable  accountability  have  become  decisive  criteria  in  selecting  an  AI  partner  for  mission-critical 
workloads.

Claude as a Virtual Collaborator

We  believe  we  have  reached  an  inflection  point  where  AI  systems  can  function  as  genuine  collaborators  in 
professional work. They quickly complete substantive tasks that might otherwise occupy a skilled professional 
for several hours, a full day, or longer. AI systems are also becoming increasingly capable of performing tasks 
that were previously too difficult or costly to complete or surfacing original insights and analyses. We refer to 
these  AI  systems  that  work  alongside  humans  to  perform  complex,  multi-step  work  at  professional  levels  as 
Virtual Collaborators. Virtual Collaborators carry the access rights, system connections, and context that their 
organizations grant them, which allows them to function more accurately and reliably. They can navigate and 
use  internal  tools  and  execute  workflows  that  span  multiple  steps  that  require  sustained  reasoning.  Virtual 

1 See the section titled “Industry, Market, and Other Data” for a description of how we calculate annual economic value attributable 

to knowledge workers globally.

2  IDC,  The  Economic  Impact  of  AI:  2026  Edition,  doc  #  US54452226,  April  2026.  Reflects  the  annual  value  created  across  AI 
solutions  and  services,  investments  in  the  AI  infrastructure  supply  chain,  and  enhancements  in  enterprise  productivity  and 
efficiency unlocked by AI.

3 IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science, Global Medicine Use Trends 2026, February 2026.

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