Anthropic adds healthcare expertise

Anthropic has added Novartis chief executive Vas Narasimhan to its board, giving the artificial intelligence company a senior voice from medicine and drug regulation. (anthropic.com) Anthropic said on April 14, 2026 that Narasimhan was appointed by its Long-Term Benefit Trust, an internal governance body that can choose part of the board. The company said trust-appointed directors now hold a majority of board seats. (anthropic.com) Narasimhan is a physician-scientist as well as the chief executive of Novartis, and Anthropic said he has overseen the development and approval of more than 35 novel medicines. He joins a board that Anthropic listed as Dario Amodei, Daniela Amodei, Yasmin Razavi, Jay Kreps, Reed Hastings, Chris Liddell, and now Narasimhan. (anthropic.com) The Long-Term Benefit Trust is unusual for a fast-growing private technology company. Anthropic said in September 2023 that the five-member trust was built to be financially disinterested and would eventually gain the power to select and remove a majority of directors. (anthropic.com) Anthropic is organized as a Public Benefit Corporation rather than a standard corporation. On its company page, it says its purpose is the responsible development and maintenance of advanced artificial intelligence for the long-term benefit of humanity. (anthropic.com) The board change lands as Anthropic has been building out governance with other non-founder additions. The company appointed former Microsoft executive Chris Liddell to its board on February 13, 2026. (anthropic.com) It also comes as Anthropic pushes deeper into healthcare and life sciences. In announcing Narasimhan’s appointment, Anthropic said those fields are among the areas where artificial intelligence could most improve quality of life, and Narasimhan said the technology is helping researchers study disease biology and design medicines. (anthropic.com) Anthropic’s recent growth has made its governance structure more consequential. The company said in March 2025 that it raised $3.5 billion at a $61.5 billion post-money valuation, adding to the pressure on its board to balance investors, commercial expansion, and the company’s public-benefit charter. (anthropic.com) For Anthropic, the immediate change is not a new product or model release. It is a board seat, chosen through a trust designed to put long-term mission questions alongside the business of building powerful artificial intelligence. (anthropic.com)