Political Economist, Rule of Law

Anthropic • San Francisco, NY

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

Anthropic’s AI & Rule of Law team examines how AI may affect constitutional democratic institutions, including courts, legislatures, electoral systems, oversight bodies, and the legal frameworks that support democratic governance. The team researches institutional vulnerabilities and strategies to protect democratic freedoms through technical and policy approaches. This is early-stage, high-stakes work on unsolved problems, and the research agenda is expected to evolve as AI capabilities and institutional pressures change.

The role is for someone with deep expertise in AI and at least one of law, government, political science, or public policy. The candidate should be able to reason about AI capabilities and risks while understanding how risks may become structural threats to democratic institutions. The work involves using Claude as a research tool, thought partner, and subject of inquiry.

Anthropic describes itself as a public benefit corporation headquartered in San Francisco. Its team works collaboratively on large-scale research efforts focused on steerable, trustworthy AI.

Requirements

• A primary degree in law, political science, or a closely related field at the Ph.D. level or equivalent, or extensive government experience at a leadership level.
• Demonstrated ability to produce rigorous, public-facing work, such as scholarship, policy analysis, government output, or a published body of writing.
• Minimum education: bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education, training, and/or experience.
• A field of study relevant to the role, demonstrated through coursework, training, or professional experience.

Nice To Haves

• Experience at the intersection of legal or political theory and emerging technology.
• A track record of working across disciplines, such as a legal scholar who has engaged seriously with AI or a policy official who has worked on technology governance.
• Comfort operating with significant autonomy when the problems are new and the playbook is still being written.
• At least five years of relevant experience in academia, industry, or government.

Responsibilities

• Develop frameworks for AI safety evaluations that assess whether frontier AI systems behave consistently with constitutional norms, due process, and rule-of-law principles.
• Identify novel pressure points AI may create in democratic governance and propose policy and technical mitigations.
• Map unsettled legal issues created by capable AI systems, including liability, agency, and institutional authority.
• Develop or identify applications of AI that could strengthen civic participation, legislative capacity, or judicial function.
• Use Claude creatively as a research tool, thought partner, and subject of inquiry.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation and benefits.
• Optional equity donation matching.
• Generous vacation and parental leave.
• Flexible working hours.
• Office space for collaboration.
• Visa sponsorship may be available, with reasonable efforts and immigration-lawyer support.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior