New Delhi. Artificial intelligence company Anthropic has sought the views of Hindu monk Swami Sarvapriyananda on ethical questions surrounding its AI model Claude and how the system should be guided in matters of right and wrong. According to Swami Sarvapriyananda, the company invited him to its San Francisco headquarters for a discussion on the ethical principles and guidelines that could shape Claude’s behaviour.
The meeting also included discussions on AI safety and potential risks associated with increasingly capable AI systems. As AI models become more advanced, questions around ensuring that their decisions and behaviour remain safe and responsible have become a major area of discussion. Anthropic’s engagement with spiritual and philosophical thinkers reflects an effort to examine these issues from perspectives beyond technical AI safety.
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Swami Sarvapriyananda has served since 2017 as the head minister and spiritual guide of the Vedanta Society of New York. He is also regarded as a prominent interpreter of Advaita Vedanta philosophy. His participation in the discussion brought perspectives from the Indian philosophical tradition into the broader conversation about AI ethics and responsible AI behaviour.
Anthropic did not limit its consultations to representatives of Hindu philosophy. The company has also held private meetings and discussions with thinkers associated with Catholic, Jewish, Sikh and Evangelical Christian traditions. Through these conversations, the company has sought to understand how different religious and philosophical traditions approach questions of morality, right and wrong, human values and responsible conduct.
The issue has become increasingly significant as modern AI systems are no longer limited to providing basic information. They can offer advice, generate responses to complex questions and, in some situations, interact with digital tools to carry out multi-step tasks. This has raised broader questions about how AI systems should respond when they encounter sensitive, controversial or morally complex situations.
Different societies and philosophical traditions can interpret ethical values in different ways. A principle considered appropriate in one cultural or philosophical framework may be understood differently in another. Anthropic’s discussions with representatives of multiple traditions therefore point to an attempt to gather a broader range of perspectives while considering the principles that should guide an AI model’s behaviour.
The discussion with Swami Sarvapriyananda also focused on AI safety and potential risks. The engagement indicates that the development of AI systems is increasingly being considered not only through the lens of technical safeguards but also through ethical and philosophical questions.
By consulting thinkers from different religious and philosophical backgrounds, Anthropic is seeking perspectives on how AI systems should behave, what values should inform their responses and how potential risks should be addressed. The initiative highlights the growing role of ethics, philosophy and human values in discussions surrounding the development and deployment of increasingly capable AI systems.
About the author — Suvedita Nath is a science student with a growing interest in cybercrime and digital safety. She writes on online activity, cyber threats, and technology-driven risks. Her work focuses on clarity, accuracy, and public awareness.
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