Anthropic is making headlines with two big stories this week: a reported push to go public and the release of a new AI tool that could change the future of business research.
The AI startup has hired legal counsel to prepare for an initial public offering (IPO) that could happen as early as 2026, according to reports from The Financial Times and other outlets. The move is part of a broader race against rival OpenAI, as both companies grapple with the astronomical costs of training frontier models.
To unpack what this means for the market and for your business, I spoke with SmarterX and Marketing AI Institute founder and CEO Paul Roetzer on Episode 184 of The Artificial Intelligence Show.
The IPO Race Heats Up
Anthropic’s reported preparations for an IPO signal a maturing of the AI landscape. The company, backed by heavyweights Amazon and Google, is reportedly negotiating a private funding round that could value the business at more than $300 billion.
An Anthropic spokesperson said that operating as if they are publicly traded is “standard practice” for a company of their size. But the move also suggests a strategic shift to secure the capital needed to compete.
For Roetzer, the IPO news reflects the immense momentum behind the company.
“Anthropic is just getting a lot of very positive sentiment right now for their direction,” says Roetzer. “I feel like Apple should have bought them. Google has a 14% ownership. AWS has invested. But it would seem someone would try and get them before the IPO.”
“A Brilliant Use Case"
While the potential public offering is big news, Roetzer was far more intrigued by Anthropic’s new research tool.
The company has introduced "Anthropic Interviewer," a system powered by Claude designed to conduct automated, adaptive interviews with users (at scale). The goal is to move beyond simple surveys and chat logs to truly understand how people feel about and use AI in their daily lives.
The tool operates in three distinct stages:
- Planning: The AI creates an interview rubric based on research goals and best practices.
- Interviewing: It conducts real-time, adaptive interviews with users.
- Analysis: It synthesizes the transcripts to identify emergent themes and findings.
“What a brilliant use case,” says Roetzer. “What an amazing innovation that was sitting in front of all of us. Anyone with API access to Gemini or ChatGPT or Claude could have probably built this interviewer model.”
Scaling Qualitative Research
The implications for business are massive. Traditionally, strong qualitative research, such as customer interviews or employee feedback sessions, is unscalable because it requires so much human time and effort. Anthropic Interviewer changes this.
“Imagine this with an AI avatar doing customer success research, doing market research, consumer research, and adapting in real time,” says Roetzer.
In its pilot, Anthropic used the tool to interview 1,250 professionals across various fields, including scientists and creatives. The results offered a fascinating look at the current state of AI adoption:
- Productivity: 86% of professionals reported that AI saves them time
- Satisfaction: 65% were satisfied with the role AI plays in their work
- Stigma: 69% mentioned a social stigma associated with using AI tools at work
The ability to uncover these kinds of insights without a team of human researchers opens up new possibilities for every organization.
The "Interview Yourself" Strategy
Roetzer also believes this technology unlocks a powerful new internal workflow: having the AI interview you.
Rather than staring at a blank prompt box, you can use this tool to have the AI act as a consultant.
“I could see the same model actually being applied to strategy where it's like, 'Hey, I need you to help me build a marketing strategy and allocate budget for 2026. I want you to interview me like you were a consultant from McKinsey,'” says Roetzer.
By flipping the script and letting the AI drive the inquiry, leaders can produce richer, more nuanced outputs for everything from strategic planning to content creation.
Anthropic’s on a Roll
Anthropic’s moves illustrate a company that is thriving. It’s a company pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, and we can all benefit from it. For business leaders, especially, the Interviewer model offers an immediate, tangible way to rethink how we gather insights and develop strategies.
“I feel like we could just run a whole hackathon on what to do with this kind of technology,” says Roetzer.
Mike Kaput
As Chief Content Officer, Mike Kaput uses content marketing, marketing strategy, and marketing technology to grow and scale traffic, leads, and revenue for Marketing AI Institute. Mike is the co-author of Marketing Artificial Intelligence: AI, Marketing and the Future of Business (Matt Holt Books, 2022). See Mike's full bio.