The Blender Foundation has announced that AI developer Anthropic's Corporate Patron status of the Blender Development Fund has been downgraded to a one-off donation. The Foundation stated, 'Anthropic has been informed and supports this change.'
Anthropic had previously held a Corporate Patron status, which involved an annual contribution of €30,000 to the fund. The downgrade follows controversy over Anthropic's involvement, as some in the Blender community raised concerns about the AI company's influence on the open-source 3D creation suite.
The Blender Foundation clarified that the change was made after discussions with Anthropic, and the company agreed to the new arrangement. The one-off donation amount has not been disclosed.
This development comes amid broader debates about the role of AI companies in funding open-source projects, with some community members expressing concerns about potential conflicts of interest.
