Accenture shares climbed nearly 9% in aftermarket trading. The technology consulting company announced a partnership with Anthropic Friday afternoon. The firm is establishing a team of "embedded evaluators" to work with Anthropic's internal teams in stress testing models, safeguards and alignment.

Accenture said in its announcement that both companies "each expect to invest at least $1 billion over five years in AI safety."

The companies' partnership comes as a wave of AI safety incidents across the industry has thrust fresh scrutiny on the technology's breakneck development. The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that hackers used Anthropic's Claude to break into OpenAI, adding to a crowded field of AI incidents disclosed this week.