Anthropic Weighs New AI Model as OpenAI’s GPT-6 Astra Gains Ground

Anthropic is considering releasing a new AI model as it faces growing competition from OpenAI’s GPT-6 Astra, according to a Reuters report, as the AI startup prepares for a potential IPO.

The company is evaluating the safety of its next model as part of discussions around whether and when to release it. The potential launch comes less than three weeks after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called for the AI industry to slow the pace of new model releases over safety concerns.

“We must slow the pace at which we improve the capabilities of AI models,” Amodei wrote in a 3,800-word essay on September 12. His call received support from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

Anthropic recently partnered with Accenture to conduct independent evaluations of frontier AI models, with both companies planning to invest at least $1 billion each over the next five years to build capacity for the work.

The partnership will be led by Faculty, Accenture’s specialist AI business, and will cover model evaluations and red-teaming, alignment assessments, and testing of model safeguards.

Anthropic said the partnership is part of its plan to embed independent evaluators within AI companies. “Embedded evaluators will work inside AI companies, with access comparable to an employee's,” the company said.

The access is intended to allow evaluators to observe models during training, follow decisions around their development and deployment, and speak directly with employees. Anthropic said this could help evaluators assess how an AI company operates, verify safety commitments and identify blind spots.

“Independent embedded evaluators do not reduce our accountability, but help to make it more verifiable,” Anthropic said. “The safety of our models remains our responsibility.”

The deliberations to launch a new model come after OpenAI released GPT-6 Astra on September 3. The model has gained traction among businesses, increasing investor scrutiny of Anthropic’s position in enterprise AI.

OpenAI has positioned GPT-6 Astra around computer use, software engineering, cybersecurity and professional work. 

According to corporate expense platform Ramp, Astra accounted for about 13% of tracked enterprise AI spending, compared with around 8% for Anthropic’s Claude Fable.

Astra has also overtaken Anthropic on OpenRouter, a platform that routes developer traffic across AI models. OpenRouter said users spent more on OpenAI models than Anthropic models in the previous week, marking the first time OpenAI had led on that measure in more than two and a half years.

Anthropic’s annualised revenue run rate crossed $65 billion by the end of July, up from about $9 billion at the end of 2025. The company is also projecting revenue of roughly $190 billion to $200 billion in 2028. OpenAI’s annualised revenue run rate exceeded $40 billion in July.

A new model release would put Anthropic in a position where it has to balance competitive pressure with the safety concerns that have been central to Anthropic’s public position.

Beyond OpenAI, Anthropic faces competition from open-source and open-weight models. Investors said these models can reduce token costs and allow companies to develop more of their AI infrastructure internally rather than relying on commercial providers.

The competitive pressure comes as both Anthropic and OpenAI have been preparing for potential public listings. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman confirmed on September 12 that the company would not go public in 2026, citing AI safety concerns.

Anthropic could delay its IPO until after the November US midterm elections, Reuters reported. The company had already pushed back its plans, with marketing previously expected to begin no earlier than mid-October.