The constitution will help Claude to move from simply following a limited checklist of approved possibilities to one based on deeper reasoning. So, for example, instead of keeping data private because this agrees with a rule, the constitution will help it understand the ethical framework in which privacy is important.
The effect of this added complexity is length, with the new version expanding dramatically to 84 pages and 23,000 words. If this sounds long-winded, the reasoning is that the document has been written to be ingested primarily by Claude itself. “It [the constitution] needs to work both as a statement of abstract ideals and a useful artifact for training,” the announcement said.
It also noted that the document is currently written for mainline, general access Claude models, and that specialized models may not fully fit, but said that the company will “continue to evaluate” how to make them meet the constitution’s core objectives. In addition, it promised to be open about missteps “in which model behavior comes apart from our vision.”
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