Anthropic appoints Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar as its first global affairs chief as AI regulation debate intensifies

Anthropic has named its first chief global affairs officer, amid growing scrutiny from governments worldwide over artificial intelligence (AI) safety, regulation, and deployment. Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar will be taking over the role, managing the company's standing with policymakers, regulators, and government bodies across the globe.

According to a Reuters report, Cuéllar’s responsibilities will also include managing Anthropic's relationship with the US government, engaging with policymakers and regulators in countries where Anthropic is expanding and helping the company navigate changing AI laws and regulations globally. He will be reporting to Anthropic President Daniela Amodei.

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Why did Anthropic choose Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar?

Cuéllar reportedly brings government experience and expertise in AI policy and technology issues, making him seem like a consensus builder who can bring different groups together. He has also served as a special assistant in former US President Barack Obama's White House, and now Anthropic expects him to work with President Donald Trump's Republican administration.

He also took part in the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace until July, where he co-chaired a task force focused on US national security and nuclear non-proliferation. Cuéllar had also been a part of Anthropic's Long-Term Benefit Trust, an independent body that looks after the public-benefit mission.

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In addition, the appointment comes at a time when there are growing concerns about AI being used for cyberattacks. Anthropic is also having a difficult time building a relationship with the US government, particularly over national security concerns related to AI technology.

The Trump administration also introduced an export control directive that temporarily restricted Anthropic from releasing Mythos 5 and Fable 5 to customers outside the US, amid national security concerns. The govt took similar measures when OpenAI planned to release the GPT 5.6 models.