On November 5, 2025, Anthropic announced it is expanding its Economic Futures Programme to the United Kingdom and Europe. The initiative aims to support researchers, policymakers and practitioners in studying and managing AI’s effects on labor markets and the broader economy.
Why this matters now
Anthropic highlights that AI adoption across Europe and the UK is accelerating, while public-policy discussion about its economic and labor impacts remains at an early stage. Decisions taken now could influence the continent’s workforce composition, productivity and growth for years to come.
Programme components
Building on its U.S. launch, the programme introduced for the UK and Europe includes:
- Research grants and Claude API credits for European researchers examining AI’s impact on labor markets, productivity or value creation.
- Forums such as symposiums—starting with an event at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)—where researchers, policymakers and practitioners can develop and evaluate policy proposals.
- Expansion of the Anthropic Economic Index to provide more granular, Europe-specific data on actual AI usage across industries and regions.
Anthropic has published full grant details and opened applications on its website.
What the Anthropic Economic Index shows in the UK and Europe
The Anthropic Economic Index, which analyses real-world use of Claude, indicates that AI adoption is already widespread across European industries. Key findings cited by Anthropic include:
- Across the continent, Claude is most commonly used for coding tasks.
- In the UK, the most frequent uses are support for academic research, writing and educational content.
- In Germany, the Index shows strong use of Claude in local manufacturing, with particularly high per-capita usage for calibrating, troubleshooting and repairing equipment.
- In France, Claude is supporting culture and tourism: use for dining, shopping and nightlife information is reported to be four times the global average.
Anthropic says this kind of granular evidence can help policymakers design informed responses to potential workforce transitions.
The LSE Anthropic Economic Futures Symposium
The LSE Anthropic Economic Futures Symposium will bring together more than a hundred experts from government, academia and civil society to discuss AI’s economic effects. Researchers selected through an open-call process run by LSE and Anthropic will present policy proposals intended to inform debates across the UK and Europe.
Peter McCrory, Head of Economics at Anthropic, commented: "The LSE has been on the forefront of economic research for over a century, making it an ideal partner as we bring together researchers, industry leaders, and policymakers to study the effects of AI. Europe has a unique opportunity to develop approaches to AI adoption that drive growth and productivity while delivering those gains across the labor market. By combining rigorous research with practical policy recommendations, we can prepare for what’s ahead."
Professor Cosmina Dorobantu of the London School of Economics added: "AI is forcing us to confront important questions about our economic future. Today's Symposium tackles these questions head-on. We are delighted to partner with Anthropic on this event, which exemplifies LSE's ambition to be the place where researchers, leading AI companies, policymakers, and civil society representatives converge to find solutions to the urgent socio-economic questions brought about by AI. Our work does not end here. Today marks the beginning of our collective efforts to ensure AI's transformative potential delivers an economy that works for everyone."
Next steps for the UK and Europe
Anthropic says that choices made now about AI development, deployment and governance will shape Europe’s economic future. The company commits to working with policymakers, academics and economists across the region to prepare for the transition ahead.
Researchers working on AI policy in the UK or Europe can submit proposals and find more information at anthropic.com/economic-futures. Inquiries can be sent to economicfutures@anthropic.com.
