Anthropic · OpenAI · San Francisco · New York · The Atlantic Technology
There’s No Such Thing as an AI ‘Lab’
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When did AI companies become AI labs?
Key facts
- A 2026 Pew Research Center poll found that more than 75 percent of Americans trust scientists to act in the public interest, but the majority do not trust business leaders to do the same
- Marshall Institute, a think tank founded in 1984 whose leaders worked closely with the Reagan White House
- Since then, however, they have commercialized rapidly: Each company is now valued near $1 trillion and generates billions in quarterly revenue
- You’ll see the term on transit advertisements in San Francisco and in the pages of The New York Times (and, yes, The Atlantic )
Summary
You’ll see the term on transit advertisements in San Francisco and in the pages of The New York Times (and, yes, The Atlantic ). Here is their proposal: Everyone, please stop. As a software engineer working in tech, the reporter has seen little evidence that AI companies’ research practices differ significantly from those of the rest of the tech industry. Part of the reason is historical. In the 1970s, scientists at the MIT Laboratory for Computer Science pioneered the foundations of modern cryptography. In their early years, OpenAI and Anthropic mainly performed research, similar to other industrial labs. Since then, however, they have commercialized rapidly: Each company is now valued near $1 trillion and generates billions in quarterly revenue. A 2026 Pew Research Center poll found that more than 75 percent of Americans trust scientists to act in the public interest, but the majority do not trust business leaders to do the same.