Anthropic bans users from abusing its AI systems
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Anthropic bans users from being 'cruel' to its AI systems
Image source: Getty Images
By Liv McMahon, Technology reporter
Published 52 minutes ago
Anthropic has made headlines by announcing a ban on users treating its AI systems abusively. The company said it will update its usage policy to let its tools end interactions where people are "cruel", a move it describes as rare but necessary.
The new policy includes abusive or cruel behavior alongside bullying, promoting self-harm, and creating non-consensual intimate imagery. However, Anthropic clarifies that this only applies in extreme cases of repeated abuse.
The announcement has sparked debate online, with some praising the move as a step towards good manners and AI welfare, while others criticize it as potentially harmful or misleading.
Dr Barry Scannell, a technology partner at Irish law firm William Fry, expressed skepticism on LinkedIn:
"You can't be cruel to numbers and maths. This level of anthropomorphization of AI is harmful. It leads people to believe that it's something it's not."
Microsoft AI director Mustafa Suleyman reacted with a melting face emoji, seemingly expressing disagreement or disbelief.
The updates follow an annual review of Anthropic's usage policy and aim to address emerging risks. They also include restrictions on using their tools for deceptive campaigns or disrupting elections, as well as a continuation of their previous ban on developing AI weapons.
This latest move raises questions about the appropriate level of politeness when interacting with generative AI tools. While some experts believe "please" and "thank you" are unnecessary and inefficient, others argue that they can lead to better responses. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, previously defended using polite language with ChatGPT, stating it was "tens of millions of dollars well spent - you never know."
The discussion also touches on the term "clanker," a disparaging term for AI tools that originated in Star Wars games and movies, making a comeback last year.