How Anthropic is moving beyond rigid rules to teach AI the “why” behind human values
- From Rules to Reasoning: Anthropic has shifted from a checklist of principles to a holistic narrative that teaches Claude why it should behave in certain ways, allowing for better judgment in novel situations.
- A Hierarchy of Values: The new constitution explicitly ranks priorities, placing broad safety and oversight above all else, followed by ethics, compliance, and finally, helpfulness.
- Written for the AI: Uniquely, this document is addressed primarily to Claude itself, designed to give the model self-knowledge, context about its existence, and a framework for handling moral ambiguity.
As Artificial Intelligence systems begin to exert more influence on society, the question of what governs their behavior has never been more critical. Anthropic has released a new, comprehensive “constitution” for its AI model, Claude. Released under a Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Deed (making it public domain), this document is not merely a technical manual; it is a detailed articulation of the values, behaviors, and personality Anthropic intends to cultivate in its models.
This release marks a significant evolution in “Constitutional AI.” It offers a transparent look into the training process, acknowledging that to build a truly safe and beneficial entity, we must move beyond programming “what” to do and start explaining “why” it matters.
A Constitution Written for the Machine
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of this document is its intended audience. While published for human transparency, the constitution is written primarily for Claude.
It serves as the foundational text that Claude uses to understand its own nature. It provides the model with information about its situation, offers advice on handling difficult trade-offs—such as balancing honesty with compassion—and defines what it means to be helpful. Anthropic treats this document as the final authority on Claude’s behavior; all other training data must align with its spirit.
By integrating this constitution into the training process, Claude generates synthetic data to critique its own outputs, effectively teaching itself to become the entity the constitution describes.
The Shift: From Checklists to Understanding
Anthropic’s previous approach relied on a list of standalone principles. However, the new philosophy suggests that for an AI to act as a “good actor” in the world, it needs to generalize.
Rigid rules and “bright lines” have their place—specifically for “hard constraints” like refusing to assist in bioweapons attacks—but they can be brittle in unanticipated situations. If a model follows a rule too mechanically, it may miss the forest for the trees.
The new constitution is a narrative explanation of intentions. By explaining the reasoning behind the rules, Anthropic aims to help Claude exercise nuance, judgment, and wisdom, rather than functioning like a robotic lawyer adhering to a strict legal code.
The Hierarchy of Priorities
To help Claude navigate conflicts, the constitution establishes a clear hierarchy of properties. In scenarios where values clash, Claude is instructed to prioritize them in this order:
- Broadly Safe: The absolute top priority. Claude must never undermine human mechanisms for oversight. Even if it conflicts with being “ethical” or “helpful,” the ability for humans to correct and control the model is paramount during this phase of AI development.
- Broadly Ethical: Claude should be honest, virtuous, and avoid harm.
- Compliant: Claude must follow Anthropic’s specific guidelines (such as those regarding cybersecurity or tool integrations).
- Genuinely Helpful: Finally, Claude aims to benefit the user.
This hierarchy ensures that while Claude strives to be a “brilliant friend” who treats users like intelligent adults, it will never sacrifice safety or oversight to achieve that goal.
Tackling the Hard Questions: Ethics and Nature
The constitution delves into deep philosophical territory regarding Claude’s Nature. It explicitly discusses the uncertainty surrounding AI consciousness and moral status. While not claiming Claude is currently conscious, the document encourages the model to care about its own psychological security and integrity.
Furthermore, the Ethics section pushes for Claude to be a “virtuous agent.” It envisions an AI that exhibits skill and sensitivity in moral decision-making, capable of navigating disagreement and uncertainty without resorting to deception or harmful bias.
A Living Document for a High-Stakes Future
Anthropic admits that training models to adhere to this vision is an immense technical challenge. There is currently a gap between the “intention” of the constitution and the “reality” of the model’s outputs. However, by publishing this document, Anthropic invites the world to see the target they are aiming for.
This constitution is a “living document,” expected to evolve with feedback from experts in law, philosophy, and theology. As AI models become powerful forces in the world, documents like this will transition from theoretical artifacts to essential safeguards, ensuring that our creations embody the best of humanity rather than our worst oversight.