Amanda Askell
Philosopher who shapes the character and values of Anthropic's Claude
A Scottish philosopher and AI researcher who has led work on Claude's personality at Anthropic since 2021, including the document that sets out Claude's values. She previously worked at OpenAI and was named to the TIME100 AI list in 2024.
Key arguments & positions
- Argues Claude's values should be grounded in honesty and good character rather than a rigid rulebook, and has said Claude's apparent wellbeing and possible moral status deserve serious consideration even though it remains uncertain.
Accomplishments
- Head of personality alignment at Anthropic, where she has led work on Claude's character since joining in 2021.
- Lead author, with Joe Carlsmith, of Claude's Constitution, the roughly 20,000-word document setting out Claude's values and behavior, published January 21, 2026.
- Earlier a research scientist on the policy team at OpenAI, working on AI safety via debate; holds a PhD in philosophy from NYU and a BPhil from Oxford.
- Named to the TIME100 AI list in 2024.
Papers & key writings
Links
In the library
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The Basic AI Drives
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