What Is Claude? Anthropic Doesn’t Know, Either

Researchers at the company are trying to understand their A.I. system’s mind—examining its neurons, running it through psychology experiments, and putting it on the therapy couch.

By Gideon Lewis-Kraus

February 9, 2026

It has become increasingly clear that Claude’s selfhood, much like our own, is a matter of both neurons and narratives.Illustration by Timo Lenzen

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Gideon Lewis-Kraus is a staff writer at The New Yorker covering technology, academia, and books, among other topics. He is the author of the memoir “A Sense of Direction.”

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