Carl T. Bergstrom is a professor of biology at the University of Washington. He studies how information moves through biological and social systems, including the effects of misinformation and incentives on scientific communication. He is co-author of Calling Bullshit and an external faculty member of the Santa Fe Institute.
Case
Anthropic says its updated policy targets extreme, repeated cruelty toward its models. Carl Bergstrom questions what cruelty toward an AI model could mean or prohibit in practice.
Role at the time: University of Washington professor of biology
Response to this claim
Anthropic should prohibit sustained, needless abusive or cruel behavior toward its models.
“It does not, however, explain what the fuck this could possibly mean.”
He disputes the intelligibility of the policy's characterization rather than endorsing abusive behavior.
Statement dates: October 9, 2026
Statement dates: October 9, 2026
