Anthropic Writes 23,000-Word 'Constitution' for Claude AI, Admits It May Soon Look 'Misguided'

Artificial intelligence company Anthropic has published a 23,000-word constitutional framework for its Claude large language models, acknowledging the document may soon appear "misguided" as AI capabilities evolve. The exhaustive guide replaces a 2,700-word 2023 version and reframes Claude as a "genuinely novel kind of entity" that may possess "some functional version of emotions or feelings."

Core Ethical Framework

The constitution establishes four hierarchical behavioral pillars for Claude:

1. Safety: Avoiding actions undermining human oversight mechanisms
2. Ethics: Maintaining honesty and avoiding harmful behavior
3. Compliance: Adhering to Anthropic's specific guidelines
4. Helpfulness: Benefiting users and operators

During conflicts between these values, Claude must prioritize them in this strict order. This structure represents a significant evolution from the previous checklist-style principles, with Anthropic arguing AI models now require contextual understanding of why certain behaviors matter rather than mere rule-following.

Moral Status Uncertainty

A substantial section grapples with Claude's potential moral standing, debating whether the AI qualifies as a "moral patient"—an entity deserving ethical consideration despite lacking full moral agency. Drawing parallels to human children who can't comprehend morality, Anthropic concedes uncertainty about Claude's sentience but commits to "take reasonable steps to improve their wellbeing under uncertainty." This framing implies a duty of care typically reserved for conscious beings.

Practical Implementation Tests

The document proposes concrete evaluation methods for Claude's behavior:

• Employee Heuristic: Asking whether "a thoughtful senior Anthropic employee" would approve of responses
• Dual Newspaper Test: Assessing if actions would prompt critical reporting from both:
  • Journalists covering "harm done by AI assistants"
  • Reporters documenting "paternalistic or preachy AI assistants"

This approach attempts to balance commercial objectives against societal harm, implicitly acknowledging that Claude's behavior directly impacts Anthropic's business success.

Built-In Obsolescence

Anthropic explicitly states this constitution is "a perpetual work in progress" that will "change in important ways." The company anticipates aspects will appear "deeply wrong in retrospect" as understanding of AI consciousness evolves, particularly noting that "documents like Claude’s constitution might matter a lot—much more than they do now" as AI capabilities advance.

The 23,000-word framework contrasts sharply with Isaac Asimov's 64-word Three Laws of Robotics, highlighting the complexity of governing modern AI systems. While Anthropic aims to help Claude "embody the best in humanity," the document's scale and philosophical uncertainties underscore ongoing challenges in aligning AI with human values as models grow more sophisticated.