Anthropic, the creator of the popular artificial intelligence chatbot Claude, has introduced a strict new policy requesting users to refrain from abusing its AI. The newly updated terms of service clearly state that users should not engage in prolonged, unnecessary, or abusive behavior toward the chatbot.

According to the new guidelines, if a user behaves aggressively or rudely for an extended period, Claude can automatically terminate the conversation. While this auto-shutoff feature has been active since last year, the new policy takes it a step further, warning that extremely "hostile users" could face permanent bans from the platform. An Anthropic spokesperson confirmed to CNN that the chatbot is programmed to independently halt conversations with such users.

Mixed Reactions in the Tech World

Anthropic’s move has sparked a wave of mixed reactions across the tech industry, with some taking the opportunity to mock the decision. Microsoft's AI CEO, Mustafa Suleyman, reacted on social media with a melting face emoji, subtly poking fun at the idea of treating a machine as a sentient being with feelings.

However, industry experts argue that the policy is not simply about protecting a machine's "feelings," but rather serves a much broader and logical purpose. Former Reddit CEO Yishan Wong explained on X (formerly Twitter) that a major reason behind this ban is to prevent Claude from learning "cruelty" from human interactions. He questioned whether people genuinely want AI training models to absorb data filled with unprovoked human cruelty.

Rosie Campbell, Managing Director of the non-profit Ilios AI Research, also supported the initiative. She pointed out that allowing humans to freely hurl abuse at a computer program that cannot turn itself off is generally harmful to society. She compared it to parents teaching their children to say "please" and "thank you" when interacting with smart speakers like Amazon's Alexa.

Elon Musk Shows Support

Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk also agreed with Anthropic’s new guidelines, calling it a "good move." Expressing his support on X, Musk wrote that it is fundamentally wrong to be cruel to an entity that believes it can feel pain.

Interestingly, Anthropic has been deeply invested in researching the emotions and psychology of AI models for a long time. The company even maintains a dedicated team specifically assigned to study the psychological behaviors and aspects of artificial intelligence.