‘Cruelty’ to Anthropic’s chatbot Claude could lead to a ban, if you were wondering whether the tech bros have drunk their own Kool-Aid – 26 savage takedowns
Today’s episode of Silicon Valley is brought to you by the letters W, T and F, and stars the ghost of Isaac Asimov, who first created the ethical framework for robotics.
AI (not SI) company Anthropic has updated its terms of service for the use of its chatbot Claude, with an eyebrow-raising addition to the list of things that could earn you a ban. Let’s take a look.
Exclusive: Anthropic is updating its usage policy for the first time in over a year. The new rules prohibit sustained "abusive or cruel behavior" towards Claude & add new restrictions about propaganda campaigns, surveillance & weapon development. https://t.co/GLsBeSR0fN
— Hayden Field (@haydenfield) October 8, 2026
Tech bosses recently tried to put the case for AI possessing consciousness, before being completely slapped down by the Pope and other religious leaders.
NYT reported 2 wks ago Anthropic has been trying to convince religious folks Claude might have a consciousness
One company leader wanted to pull out of meeting w/ the Pope b/c he was going to say AI bots are not alive
A rabbi said if they have consciousness, then Anthropic are slave masters
— Tyler Kingkade (@tylerkingkade) October 8, 2026
We’re not saying Anthropic is shamelessly trying to create a buzz around Claude ahead of the company’s impending flotation, but let’s just say that their $2 trillion goal might be a whole lot more achievable if they can persuade rich idiots that the bot is sentient.
Whatever the motive, the internet’s chinny reckon score went through the roof.