In the ongoing legal battle against FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a letter requesting the exclusion of evidence and arguments concerning the current value of specific investments made by the defendant, which notably includes a $500 million stake in the artificial intelligence (AI) company Anthropic.
In a court filing submitted on October 8, the DOJ contended that such evidence holds no relevance to the case and could potentially introduce “a substantial danger of unfair prejudice, confusing the issues, misleading the jury, undue delay, and waste of time.”
Anthropic, a San Francisco-based AI company, made waves with its recent Series B round that saw an impressive $580 million in funding. Leading the round was none other than Bankman-Fried himself. Notable backers included FTX’s former head of engineering, Nishad Singh, and former Alameda Research CEO, Caroline Ellison.
Founded by former OpenAI VP of Research, Dario Amodei, Anthropic has rapidly risen to become one of OpenAI’s most well-funded competitors in the field of generative artificial intelligence. At the forefront of Anthropic’s offerings is Claude 2, a chatbot akin to ChatGPT, billed as “a friendly, enthusiastic colleague or personal assistant who can be instructed in natural language to help you with many tasks.”
The exclusion of evidence pertaining to these investments is poised to be a critical point of contention as the trial unfolds. The outcome of this legal battle may not only impact Bankman-Fried’s personal interests but could also have reverberations throughout the tech and AI industry. As proceedings continue, stakeholders and observers are closely watching to see how this high-profile case will shape the future landscape of AI investments and partnerships.
Source: Decrypt