Anthropic: 'Hard Questions' initiative invites the public to ask the toughest questions about AI — with a commitment to public reporting
Hard Questions is Anthropic's initiative through which the public can ask the toughest questions about artificial intelligence, and the company commits to transparently tracking and publicly reporting on concrete actions taken. It is based on a survey of 52,000 Americans and the views of 81,000 Claude users from 159 countries in 70 languages.
This article was generated using artificial intelligence from primary sources.
On July 9, 2026, Anthropic launched “Hard Questions,” an initiative inviting the public to ask the company the toughest questions about artificial intelligence — from impacts on jobs to concentration of power. The unusual part is the commitment: Anthropic announces transparent tracking of questions and public reporting on concrete actions arising from them, through a dedicated web submission page.
What is the initiative grounded in?
The company is not starting from scratch: it surveyed 52,000 Americans about hopes and fears related to AI, gathered views from 81,000 Claude users in 159 countries in 70 languages, and conducted a series of focus groups. The Anthropic Institute was also founded to address societal challenges. The scale of 52,000 respondents far exceeds typical industry surveys of public opinion on AI, which are usually measured in the thousands.
Why is a company exposing itself to hard questions?
A formal public channel with a reporting commitment is a rare move in an industry that typically manages criticism through PR filters. For Anthropic, this continues a governance line: the same day the company appointed Nobel laureate Ben Bernanke to the Long-Term Benefit Trust. The dual announcement outlines a differentiation strategy built on trust — while OpenAI the same day launches GPT-5.6 and ChatGPT Work, Anthropic is building institutions.
The test will be in the reports
The value of the initiative will depend on the first cycle: will reports name uncomfortable questions and measurable actions, or remain at the level of thematic summaries? Precedent exists — Anthropic’s Economic Index regularly publishes findings that don’t flatter the company, such as the concentration of Claude usage in a narrow set of occupations.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the Hard Questions initiative?
- A formal channel through which the public can submit the toughest questions about AI to Anthropic, with the company committing to transparently report on them and link them to concrete actions.
- What data does the initiative draw on?
- A survey of 52,000 Americans on hopes and fears related to AI, and the views of 81,000 Claude users from 159 countries collected in 70 languages, along with focus groups.