Palantir Technologies (PLTR) CEO Alex Karp told CNBC on Thursday that the loudest voices in the AI safety debate are quietly angling for nationalization.
Karp said frontier labs, including Anthropic, are using the risks of their own technology to argue that governments, not courts, should absorb the fallout.
Karp Ties the Safety Debate to Liability
Speaking on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street,” Karp said the public debate over AI regulation is not really about oversight at all. He argued the underlying goal for frontier labs is liability protection against lawsuits tied to harm their models could cause.
“The view that I believe they have is, these businesses have to be nationalized because if you don’t nationalize it, every single one of my clients is going to sue.”
Alex Karp, CNBC
Karp framed civil and criminal liability for AI builders as a stronger check on reckless behavior than voluntary safety pledges. He argues that companies should answer for their own actions before governments step in with new rules.
What’s at Stake for Anthropic?
Anthropic is structured as a public benefit corporation (PBC). It is a legal form that lets a company weigh a stated social mission alongside shareholder returns. The company raised $65 billion in a private funding round at a valuation near $965 billion before confidentially filing paperwork for its planned public listing. This raises questions about how that structure would hold up against nationalization or major lawsuits.
Karp’s comments land as other AI leaders, including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, have pushed for slowing frontier development. following an AI slowdown warning that rattled markets earlier this month.
The remarks also follow President Trump’s own claim to hold criminal power over AI companies. This adds another thread to the growing debate over who bears responsibility when frontier AI causes harm.
Whether nationalization ever materializes remains uncertain. But Karp’s remarks add a prominent, and unexpected, voice to a question investors in Anthropic and its rivals have yet to fully price in.
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