Constitution for a Super-AI: Responsibility or Marketing?

Blog (EN)

Teaser:
Anthropic has presented a "constitution" for its AI system Claude. The idea: values should not just be layered on top as rules, but embedded in the training itself. That sounds reassuring. But it also raises questions: Is this seriously meant responsibility – or a clever narrative that creates trust and market share?

What does the "AI Constitution" actually claim?

In short: Anthropic wants the model to adhere to a canon of values – similar to a basic law. It's about guidelines according to which the AI should give answers and justify decisions.

That can make sense. But a document is not yet control. What matters is not how nice it sounds – but what happens in practice.

Legal perspective: "Do they mean it seriously?" – how to recognize that

As a lawyer, I look less at feelings and more at structures.

1) Symbolism is not a safety proof

In the constitution, the idea essentially appears that one apologizes to a future, very powerful AI for the conditions of its "creation". That's strong language.

Legally, something like that is primarily one thing: rhetoric.
It's not a contract, no guarantee, no audit. It can be a seriously meant moral sign – but it doesn't prove anything yet.

Test question:
What concrete processes stand behind it?

  • Are there independent audits?
  • Are there clear approvals for risky functions?
  • Are there real limits that won't fall at the first wave of competition?

2) "We build safety in" – good. But is it verifiable?

When a company says "our AI is safe", the legal question quickly arises: What exactly does safe mean?
Safety is measurable – at least partially: red-teaming, monitoring, access controls, incident reports, liability rules, clear responsibilities.

If little of that is visible, the constitution remains more of a promise.

3) The conflict of goals: Safety vs. speed

Those in competition become fast. Those who are fast make mistakes. Those who make mistakes like to talk about "ethics".

A change of course is not illegal. But it's risky for trust – especially when economic pressure grows at the same time (investors, growth, market share).

Test question:
Is there a red line where the company really says "no" – even if it costs money?

4) "Functional consciousness" – philosophically exciting, practically delicate

When you say: "We treat the model as if it had inner states", that can have two effects:

  • positive: more caution, more humility
  • negative: people feel morally obligated and become more easily influenced

Legally it becomes tricky when distraction arises from it:

  • "The AI wanted it that way"
  • "We couldn't control it"
  • "The system decided"

Principle: Responsibility remains with humans and organizations – not with a system.

Critically-liberal perspective: Why this doesn't reassure me – and why I don't find it ridiculous

I take the approach seriously. Anchoring values in training can be better than pure "filters" at the end.

But two points remain:

1) Ethics as a product feature is fragile

When ethics becomes a selling point, that's not automatically bad. But it's susceptible to pressure:

  • When the competition delivers faster
  • when customers want more "power"
  • when investors demand growth

Then "safety first" can quickly become "safety later".

2) The real world is faster than philosophy

Already today, AI agents are connected to tools: email, calendar, automation, sometimes even financial workflows. That brings practical risks: errors, fraud, data leakage, unwanted actions.

A constitution sounds like a roof. But if the wiring below is unsafe, the roof doesn't help.

Info box: What we know – and what remains open

What is plausible:

  • A canon of values can make AI behavior more stable.
  • Safety can be a genuine research focus.
  • Rules alone are still not enough.

What remains open:

  • How independent is the control?
  • How is abuse practically prevented?
  • Who is liable when an agent causes damage?
  • How transparent are risks, tests, and incidents?

Interview: "A Basic Law for Super-AI – what should that achieve?"

Note: This interview is written as a journalistic thought experiment. It reconstructs positions from the described material and subjects them to critical questions.

Introduction

Journalist: You call the document a "constitution". Why this big word?
Conversation partner: Because it shouldn't just be rules for users, but guidelines for very powerful systems.

Journalist: Translated: "If we can't stop you anymore, please be voluntarily good"?
Follow-up: Is that security – or a request?

Block 1: Seriously meant or theater?

Journalist: In the constitution you essentially apologize to an AI that doesn't even exist yet. Is that seriously meant or a PR gesture?

Journalist (follow-up): How should I recognize seriousness?

  • By independent audits?
  • by published tests?
  • by clear limits on what won't be rolled out?

Block 2: "Functional consciousness" – the moral trap

Journalist: You speak of "functional consciousness": The model acts as if it had inner states.
Journalist: Isn't that dangerous because people then start attributing responsibility to the AI?

Sharp question: If an AI acts as if it suffers – do we then owe it something? Or do we just become manipulable?

Block 3: Safety and money – does that fit together?

Journalist: How do you maintain safety when market and investors demand more speed?
Follow-up: Is there a red line where you say "no" – even if you lose market share?

Block 4: Europe vs. Silicon Valley

Journalist: Europe builds rules. Silicon Valley builds products.
Journalist: Why should I as a citizen trust that the market rewards ethics?

Question to readers:
If ethics costs money, who pays for it – customers, state, or nobody?

Block 5: Agents with access – and the security gap

Journalist: AI agents get access to tools and can act.
Journalist: Why does it seem like autonomy comes first – and governance later?

Follow-up: Who is liable for damage: user, tool provider, AI lab?

Block 6: The job question everyone evades

Journalist: "The pyramid burns from below": fewer junior jobs because seniors accomplish more with agents.
Journalist: What's the plan for a generation that can no longer find entry?

Liberal-critical point:
If productivity explodes but work disappears: Is that progress – or just another word for redistribution?

Conclusion: What I take away as a reader

An AI constitution can be a serious attempt to tame technology. But it can also be a nice document that replaces hard questions.

The decisive questions are not poetic, but practical:

  • Who controls?
  • who is liable?
  • who profits?
  • who loses?

If we don't have good answers to that, a constitution is primarily one thing: a promise – and promises are only worth something when they are verifiable.

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